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Crop Conditions as of August 21, 2018
Provincially, crop conditions continue to gradually decline and are more than 8 points below the 5 year average of 65.4 per cent. As expected, the South region saw little reprieve from the endured drought and the crop conditions suffered with only 39.6 per cent rated as good or excellent. In contrast, the conditions experienced in the Peace region are consistent at 85.9 per cent. Although the average in the Northeast remains higher than the provincial average, it has fallen from 76.8 to 72.8 per cent from last week. The conditions in the Northwest have stabilized and are at 58.0 per cent while the Central region decreased from 47.2 to 45.0 per cent (See Table 1). Erratic precipitation so far this year has not lent itself to preferred crop conditions or desired yields (See Map).
Harvest progress slowly continues with most activity predictably in the South (See Table 2). Provincial dryland yields on major crops are anticipated to be 93.9 per cent of the 5 year and 99.8 per cent of the 10 year index, keeping in mind that there are very few acres harvested to date (See Table 3).
The consequence of the hot dry weather is limited dryland second cut hay; 31.0 per cent of hay fields rated poor, and 34.0 per cent rated fair. Additionally, pastures have never recovered and 31.6 per cent of pastures rated poor and 34.1 per cent fair.
REGIONAL ASSESSMENTS:
The 2018 Alberta Crop Report Series continues to provide summaries for the following five regions:
Region One: Southern (Strathmore, Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, Foremost)
- Dryland crop ratings of 39.6 per cent good/excellent are well below the five year average of 62.9 per cent.
- Dryland harvest progress at 17.6 per cent combined and 4.9 per cent swathed versus 5 year average of 19.1 per cent combined and 14.1 per cent swathed.
- Harvest is underway on irrigated special crops with early potatoes at 0.8 per cent dug, processing peas completed and processing corn just started. Undercutting of irrigated dry beans has begun.
- Anticipated yields for the major crops are well below the provincial average yield estimates.
- No second cut dryland hay; second cut irrigated hay is at 70.4 per cent completed, quality is very good and yield estimates are at 1.9 tons/ac.
- Currently, 32.9 per cent of pastures rated poor, 44.0 per cent fair, 32.5 per cent of hay fields rated poor, and 44.1 per cent rated fair.
- Surface soil moisture rated poor/fair is 80.2 per cent with sub surface soil moisture rated as 85.1 per cent poor/fair.
Region Two: Central (Rimbey, Airdrie, Coronation, Oyen)
- Dryland crop ratings of 45.0 per cent good/excellent are well below the five year average of 62.0 per cent.
- Harvest progress at 3.5 per cent combined and 5.4 per cent swathed versus 5 year average of 2.6 per cent combined and 8.0 per cent swathed.
- Anticipated yields for the major crops are slightly above the provincial average yield estimates.
- Second cut dryland hay at 17.5 per cent complete, rated as 85.0 per cent good quality with yields estimated at 1.0 ton/ac.
- Currently, 48.0 per cent of pastures rated poor, 38.3 per cent fair; 45.7 per cent of hay fields rated poor, and 36.7 per cent rated fair.
- Surface soil moisture rated poor/fair is 81.0 per cent with sub surface soil moisture rated as 79.3 per cent poor/fair.
Region Three: North East (Smoky Lake, Vermilion, Camrose, Provost)
- Dryland crop ratings of 72.8 per cent good/excellent are somewhat below the five year average of 75.2 per cent.
- Harvest progress at 2.0 per cent combined and 3.8 per cent swathed versus 5 year average of 1.4 per cent combined and 6.4 per cent swathed.
- Anticipated yields for the major crops are well above the provincial average yield estimates.
- Second cut dryland hay at 15.0 per cent complete, rated as 50.0 per cent good quality with yields estimated at 0.5 ton/ac.
- Currently, 21.5 per cent of pastures rated poor, 28.5 per cent fair; 21.9 per cent of hay fields rated poor, and 30.0 per cent rated fair.
- Surface soil moisture rated good/excellent is 73.3 per cent with sub surface soil moisture rated as 81.0 per cent good/excellent.
Region Four: North West (Barrhead, Edmonton, Leduc, Drayton Valley, Athabasca)
- Dryland crop ratings of 58.0 per cent good/excellent are somewhat below the five year average of 66.9 per cent.
- Harvest progress at 0.4 per cent combined and 0.6 per cent swathed versus 5 year average of 1.3 per cent combined and 4.3 per cent swathed.
- Anticipated yields for the major crops are considerably above the provincial average yield estimates.
- Second cut dryland hay at 11.7 per cent complete, rated as 70.0 per cent good quality with yields estimated at 0.5 ton/ac.
- Currently, 55.0 per cent of pastures rated poor, 29.3 per cent fair; 55.4 per cent of hay fields rated poor, and 28.2 per cent rated fair.
- Surface soil moisture rated poor/fair is 56.7 per cent with sub surface soil moisture rated as 53.5 per cent poor/fair.
Region Five: Peace River (Fairview, Falher, Grande Prairie, Valleyview)
- Dryland crop ratings of 85.9 per cent good/excellent is significantly above the five year average of 57.4 per cent.
- Harvest progress at 0.3 per cent combined and nothing swathed versus 5 year average of 5.5 per cent combined and 15.3 per cent swathed.
- Anticipated yields for the major crops are somewhat above the provincial average yield estimates.
- Currently, 19.6 per cent of pastures rated fair, 67.7 per cent good, 12.3 per cent excellent; 19.2 per cent of hay fields rated fair, 68.5 per cent good and 12.3 per cent rated excellent.
- Surface soil moisture rated good/excellent is 82.8 per cent with sub surface soil moisture rated as 82.5 per cent good/excellent.
Z. Sangster & J. Sanden Product Coordinators
email: zsuzsanna.sangster@afsc.ca
email: jackie.sanden@afsc.ca
Agriculture Financial Services Corporation
Business Risk Management Products Unit
Lacombe, Alberta
August 24, 2018
Note to Users: The contents of this document may not be used or reproduced without properly accrediting Alberta Agriculture and Forestry, Economics and Competitiveness Branch, Statistics and Data Development Section.
The 2018 Alberta crop reporting series is available on the Internet at: http://www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/$department/deptdocs.nsf/all/sdd4191
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