| | This information has been made available by Agriculture Financial Services Corporation.
The July 28, 2011 Crop Report is also available as a PDF file on the AFSC website.
Prepared by:
James Wright
Business Risk Management Division
Actuarial & Program Readiness
AFSC, Lacombe
Telephone: (403)782-8336
Provincial
While weather in the South and Central regions has been very beneficial for crop growth, the continuation of cool, wet weather in the North East, North West and Peace has hampered development in those regions. Crop Condition ratings have declined slightly with the exception of canola which has increased its provincial rating by 5% in the good/excellent category. Historically, 2011 Crop Condition ratings are well above long term averages for this date. Crop development remains 7 – 10 days behind normal. The first preliminary yield estimates of the season indicate provincial yields should be slightly above long term averages for all crops.
Provincial Crop Condition Ratings (July 28, 2011)
| Crop | Poor | Fair | Good | Exc |
| Spr. Wheat | 4.6% | 19.9% | 56.3% | 19.2% |
| Durum Wheat | 1.3% | 9.4% | 65.6% | 23.8% |
| Barley | 7.7% | 21.7% | 54.9% | 15.7% |
| Oats | 5.9% | 22.8% | 54.0% | 17.3% |
| W. Wheat | 1.4% | 11.9% | 65.4% | 21.4% |
| Canola | 9.3% | 21.4% | 53.1% | 16.2% |
| Fld Peas | 3.8% | 15.6% | 61.0% | 19.7% |
Sub soil moisture ratings have declined slightly due to a 1% increase in the excessive moisture rating.
Provincial Sub Surface Soil Moisture Ratings (July 28, 2011)
| Region | Poor | Fair | Good | Excellent | Excessive |
| South | 0% | 7% | 54% | 37% | 2% |
| Central | 0% | 5% | 36% | 52% | 7% |
| North East | 0% | 12% | 45% | 39% | 4% |
| North West | 0% | 15% | 36% | 45% | 4% |
| Peace | 0% | 4% | 22% | 62% | 12% |
| Average | 0% | 8% | 39% | 47% | 6% |
| July 14/11 | 0% | 8% | 39% | 48% | 5% |
| July 29/10 | 20% | 13% | 42% | 22% | 3% |
First cut dryland hay harvest has advanced to 48% complete. Yields are average but quality is only fair due to the continuing difficulties to get the crop off in the north. Hay/Pasture Growth ratings are unchanged as a 3% decline from the excellent to good category has been off set by a 3% increase from fair to good. First cut irrigated haying is virtually complete with good quality
Region One: South (Strathmore, Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, Foremost)
Growing conditions have been very good across the region. Temperatures have been average to slightly below average with most areas benefiting from showers. The north west portion of the region did receive frequent shower activity. Crop Development remains approximately 10 - 14 days behind average due to the slow start this spring. Spring cereals are currently entering the pollination stage when they should be in the early milk stage. Canola is 72% podded compared to 84% podded historically.
Crop Condition ratings have improved slightly with 85 – 90% of the crops rated in good/excellent condition, well above long term averages of 65 – 70%. As a result, initial yield estimates are 10 – 20% above long term averages.
First cut haying is 88% complete on dryland and 98% complete on irrigation. Quality is very good due to limited precipitation while in the swath. Forage Growth ratings have declined slightly with a 6% drop from excellent to the good category but 92% of the pastures and 96% of the tame hay continue to be rated in good/excellent condition.
Region Two: Central (Rimbey, Airdrie, Coronation, Oyen)
Showers were prevalent in all areas of the region. Precipitation was heaviest in the western portion of the region which is reporting excessive moisture. Crop development is approximately 10 - 14 days behind with cereals in the early pollination stage and canola at 34% podded. Historically, cereals should be exiting the pollination stage and canola should be 70% podded. Crop Condition ratings have declined slightly for all crops with over 90% rated in good or excellent condition. Historically, 60 – 65% of crops in the region are rated as good/excellent. Initial yield estimates indicate yields of 10 – 15% above average.
First cut dryland haying is 70% completed. Yields are average and quality has been fair to good though will decline as the remaining crop to be harvested has been rained on many times. Forage Growth ratings have improved slightly with 97% of pastures and 98% of tame hay rated in good or excellent condition.
Region Three: North East (Smoky Lake, Vermilion, Camrose, Provost)
Cool, wet weather has covered much of the region. Excessive moisture and flooding has become a significant impediment to crop growth. Crop Development is approximately 7 days behind long term averages with cereals in early to mid pollination stage and canola at 30% podded. Crop Condition ratings have shown significant decline of 5 – 10 points from the good/excellent categories into the fair category. Conversely, the ratings for canola have increased by 10 points from the fair category to good/excellent. Compared to historical averages, 2011 crop condition ratings are 5 – 10% above long term good/excellent values. Initial yield estimates are average to slightly above average though canola estimates are slightly below average at this time.
The progress of first cut dryland haying has been severely affected by the wet weather with only 20% completed. Yields have been below average and quality is poor with only 25% rated good or excellent. Forage Growth ratings have improved with 70% of the pastures and tame hay rated good/excellent (up from 64% on July 14).
Region Four: North West (Barrhead, Edmonton, Leduc, Drayton Valley, Athabasca)
Cool, wet conditions are affecting this region also. Excessive moisture has become a factor in some areas of the region. Crop Development remains well behind long term averages by 7 – 10 days with cereals in the early pollination stage and canola at 22% podded. Crop Condition ratings for cereals have declined slightly. Canola ratings have improved as the result of a significant decline in the poor category. Initial yield estimates are 5% below long term averages.
First cut haying has been severely affected by the weather with 32% complete. Yields are average but 75% of the crop is rated poor/fair for quality. Forage crop ratings have declined to 75% rated good/excellent for pastures and 62% rated good/excellent for tame hay.
Region Five: Peace River (Fairview, Falher, Grande Prairie, Valleyview)
Cool temperatures and frequent showers prevailed across the region which has slowed crop development. The extreme northern portion of the region which has been dry, received 25 – 50 mm of precipitation. Crop Development has been delayed by 5 – 7 days with spring cereals in the mid pollination stage and canola at 55% podded. Historically, cereals should be in the early milk stage and canola should be 91% podded. Crop Condition ratings for cereals dropped slightly to 60% rated good/excellent while canola ratings increased marginally. Initial crop yield estimates indicate an average to slightly above average yield in 2011.
First cut haying has been severely affected by the weather with only 20% complete. Yields are average but 55% of the crop is rated poor/fair for quality. Forage crop ratings have improved with 93% of pastures and 92% of tame hay rated good/excellent (up from 85%).
Prepared by Agriculture Financial Services Corporation, in cooperation with Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development. For more information, please contact the writer, James Wright. |
|