A rainy and cold summer has battered the Prairies and harvest is drastically behind schedule.
Normally, harvest is approximately 60 per cent done in Alberta at this time of the year, but it is currently hovering at 25 per cent completion.
“Right across the Prairies, harvest is quite slow,” said John Lyons, spokesperson with Canadian Wheat Board (CWB). “Manitoba is the furthest ahead, then Saskatchewan and Alberta.”
Eighteen per cent of spring wheat has been harvested in Alberta with most farmers not being able to seed. The ones who were able to seed most likely won’t have mature crops, according to Lyons.
“We needed a September that was very warm and very dry and instead we got the opposite,” he said.
Adding to the woes of Alberta farmers are frost warnings, which is resulting in damaged crops.
“Most of Alberta north of Calgary has had some serious frost,” said Lyons. “That will impact the quality of the crop, which basically impacts the price at which the farmer can sell the grain.”
In Rocky View County, the situation isn’t much better.
“Things are way behind,” said Kim Butler, supervisor of agricultural services at the County. “Anything that’s out after all the rain, the grade is going to be questionable at best.”
Butler did stress there is a silver lining to this dreary harvest season.
“The lucky thing is that if we can get (the crops), there will be lots of volume,” he said. “If we can get them in the bins, there will be lots there.”
Farmers would likely require between 25 and 30 days of consistently good weather to catch up and make progress on their harvest, according to Butler.
“To think we’re pushing the end of September and starting harvest… that’s really rolling the dice,” he said.