Ministry of Agriculture
Submitted
Harvest is virtually complete in Saskatchewan except for some small acres of later seeded crops remaining in the field. Many producers have experienced occasional harvest delays since September caused by rainfall, frost and humid weather. Provincially, 99 per cent of crops have been harvested and most producers are busy with fall field work and preparing for winter.
Producers began harvest slightly later this year compared to recent years, largely due to plentiful rainfall throughout the growing season and uneven crop staging in many areas. Winter cereal and early seeded pulse crops in southern regions were the first to come off in mid-August, with most crops in central and northern regions not ready to harvest until later in August. Abundant moisture in late July and early August caused regrowth of crops and weeds, which resulted in uneven crop maturity and complicated harvest efforts. Currently, the crop types left in the field are oilseeds and chickpeas. For the oilseeds, harvest progress is 99 per cent for mustard, 98 per cent for canola, 94 per cent for flax, 87 per cent for soybeans and 91 per cent for chickpeas.
Growing conditions varied throughout the province this year. Some crops were seeded into dry soil and did not receive sufficient rainfall until June or July, causing uneven emergence and crop staging early in the season. Other areas had timely rainfall throughout the season, producing favourable conditions for much of the year. Preventative fungicides were used where early summer rain increased disease risk. Cool July temperatures slowed development, but crop staging evened out, helping prevent harvest delays. Pests like bertha armyworm, cabbage seedpod weevil and Richardsons ground squirrel also posed challenges in some regions.
Crops were above-average this year in much of the province as all crop types yielded higher than the 10 year average. Winter wheat crops yielded 44.1 bushels per acre and fall rye yielded 52.6 bushels per acre. For spring cereal crops, oats yielded the highest at 94.4 bushels per acre, followed by barley with 70 bushels per acre. Hard spring wheat yielded 51.5 bushels per acre and other spring wheat yielded 55.5 bushels per acre. Durum yielded 39.4 bushels per acre and triticale yielded 25.3 bushels per acre. Additionally, canary seed yielded 1,354 pounds per acre. Pulse crops also yielded well in many areas, with field peas yielding 40.8 bushels per acre, lentils yielding 1,785.5 pounds per acre and chickpeas yielding 1,716.2 pounds per acre. Oilseed crops were the last to come off and they yielded 42.4 bushels per acre for canola, 39.6 bushels per acre for soybeans, 26.6 bushels per acre for flax and 880.1 pounds per acre for mustard.
Many crops graded in the top two quality categories, but some downgrading was reported in certain areas due to dry conditions, pest activity and late-season rain. Provincially, canola quality was higher than the 10-year average as crops graded 86 per cent 1 Canada (CAN), 13 per cent 2 CAN and one per cent 3 CAN. For pulses, field peas graded 41 per cent 1 CAN, 52 per cent 2 CAN and seven per cent 3 CAN while lentils graded 22 per cent 1 CAN, 59 per cent 2 CAN, 17 per cent 3 CAN and two per cent Sample. For higher acreage spring cereals, spring wheat was rated as 63 per cent 1 Canada Western (CW), 29 per cent 2 CW, six per cent 3 CW and two per cent CW Feed, while barley was rated as 27 per cent malt, 60 per cent 1 CW and 13 per cent 2 CW and Sample. A full summary of crop grades can be found on the table attached to the report.
Producers seeded less winter cereal crops this fall as winter wheat and fall rye acres fell slightly in the province. Compared to last year, seeded acres of winter wheat decreased by eight per cent and fall rye decreased by four per cent. The highest drop in fall seeded acres was in the southeast region, while the southwest remains largely unchanged.
Average silage yields in the province this year are 5.82 tons per acre, which is lower than the 6.37 tons per acre reported last year. The southeast had the highest silage yields while the lowest yields were in the southwest and northeast regions. Similarly, average hay yields this year were lower than last year. Provincially, dryland hay yields were 1.39 tons per acre for alfalfa, 1.32 tons per acre for brome hay, 1.19 tons per acre for tame hay, 1.33 tons per acre for baled forage and 2.14 tons per acre for greenfeed. Quality of most hay crops was rated as good to fair, with some areas having excellent hay quality. The first cut hay crop was rated as 11 per cent excellent, 63 per cent good, 22 per cent fair and four per cent poor. Producers who were able to do a second hay cut reported that 24 per cent was excellent, 47 per cent was good, 19 per cent was fair and 10 per cent was poor quality. Hay prices vary throughout the province, but on average, alfalfa is $144.72 per ton, brome is $149.44 per ton, greenfeed is $107.73 per ton, straw is $50.83 per ton and standing hay is $63.47 per ton.
Current topsoil moisture levels vary in the province but in general, the eastern half has sufficient soil moisture levels and the western half has drier soil conditions. On average, cropland topsoil moisture is currently rated at four per cent surplus, 55 per cent adequate, 33 per cent short and eight per cent very short. For hayland areas, topsoil moisture is three per cent surplus, 51 per cent adequate, 36 per cent short and 10 per cent very short. For pastures, topsoil moisture is two per cent surplus, 38 per cent adequate, 45 per cent short and 15 per cent very short. Significant rainfall and snow are needed in the coming months to replenish soil moisture levels for next spring, especially in western regions.
Most pastures reflect the soil moisture ratings quite closely. In general, pastures in the best condition heading into the winter are in the eastern half of the province and pastures in lower conditions are located in the western half. Provincially, three per cent of pastures are in excellent condition, 29 per cent are good, 37 per cent are fair, 21 per cent are poor and 10 per cent are in very poor condition.
The few producers that still have crops in the field are wrapping up harvest, while most producers are continuing with fall field work prior to freeze-up. Following harvest, producers have been applying fertilizer and spraying for weeds, but most of these operations have wrapped up for this year. Currently, grain producers continue to harrow fields, pick rocks and service equipment. Livestock producers are currently marketing cattle, moving animals off the pasture and hauling bales. Producers will enjoy a break from field work this winter but will be busy planning for the 2026 season.
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Harvest can be a stressful time on the farm. The Farm Stress Line provides toll free support at 1-800-667-4442.
Northeast Saskatchewan
Many crops were seeded into dry ground this spring which caused uneven emergence and staging early in the season. Despite dry conditions in the spring, the northeast had a few timely rains in the summer months that contributed to decent yields in the region. Plenty of crops were proactively sprayed with fungicide as humid weather was present in early summer. High bertha armyworm activity led many producers in the region to spray their canola crops. Overall reporters are describing this as a decent year for crop production in the region.
Yields for all major crop types grown in the region were higher than the current provincial and regional historical averages. The northeast produced the highest yields for oats and hard red spring wheat in the province while barley, canola and field pea yields were notably higher than much of the province.
Cereal crops were good quality as most graded in the 1 CW and 2 CW categories. Similarly, most oilseed and pulse crops graded in the 1 CAN and 2 CAN categories.
Fall cereals are not high acreage crops in the northeast compared to southern regions, but there was a small increase in winter wheat acres seeded this fall. Winter wheat acres increased by approximately seven per cent while fall rye acres are comparable to last year.
Average sileage yields in the northeast were lower than the provincial average with a regional yield of five tons per acre for silage crops. Conversely, most hay crops yielded higher than the provincial average. In the northeast, alfalfa yielded 1.63 tons per acre, brome yielded 1.45 tons per acre, tame hay yielded 0.92 tons per acre, baled forage yielded 1.45 tons per acre and greenfeed yielded 3.44 tons per acre. The quality of nearly all hay was rated as good to excellent. For the first cut, quality was rated as 19 per cent excellent, 73 per cent good, five per cent fair and three per cent poor. The second hay cut quality was rated as 54 per cent excellent, 40 per cent good and six per cent fair.
In addition to sufficient hay yields and good quality, pastures in the region are largely in good to fair condition and in better shape than much of the province. Currently, two per cent of pastures are in excellent condition, 66 per cent are good, 25 per cent are fair, three per cent are poor and four per cent are in very poor condition.
Modest rainfall over the past couple of months has led to strong topsoil moisture levels this fall. Currently, cropland topsoil moisture is rated as eight per cent surplus, 81 per cent adequate, 10 per cent short and one per cent very short. In hayland areas, topsoil moisture is four per cent surplus, 86 per cent adequate, seven per cent short and three per cent very short. Most pastures are in good condition due to sufficient topsoil moisture, which is rated as four per cent surplus, 85 per cent adequate, seven per cent short and four per cent very short.
With adequate moisture in much of the region, producers are currently applying anhydrous ammonia and other fertilizer prior to freezing. Additionally, producers have been drying grain, harrowing and spraying weeds since harvest finished. Livestock producers are moving cattle home for the winter and hauling bales.
Northwest Saskatchewan
It was a tough year for grain and livestock producers in the northwest as dry conditions persisted throughout the growing season. Harvest is complete in the northwest except for a few acres of flax crops. Some reporters noted that crop yields were better than they expected given the limited rainfall.
Most crop types yielded lower than the provincial average this year, but canola, spring wheat, barley and field peas all yielded slightly higher than the 10-year average yields in the region. Fortunately, crop quality was good as most crops were graded in the top two quality categories. For hard red spring wheat, oat and flax crops, nearly all graded in the 1 CW and 2 CW categories while most barley was either malt or 1 CW grade. Similarly, most canola, field pea and lentil crops graded as 1 CAN or 2 CAN.
Winter cereals are small acreage crops in the region, but fall rye seeded acres dropped by approximately five per cent this year and winter wheat acres remain unchanged from last year.
Yields for feed crops in the region are comparable to the provincial average this year. Silage yielded 5.83 tons per acre which is on par with this year’s provincial average and higher than the regional average yield from last year. For hay crops, alfalfa yielded 2.16 tons per acre, brome yielded 1.33 tons per acre, tame hay yielded 1.22 tons per acre, baled forage yielded 0.9 tons per acre and greenfeed yielded 2.19 tons per acre. The hay quality varied in the region, ranging from excellent to poor quality. For the first hay cut, 28 per cent was excellent, 33 per cent was good, 26 per cent was fair and 13 per cent was poor quality. Not many producers were able to get a second cut, but those that did, reported 42 per cent of it was excellent quality, 46 per cent was good and 12 per cent was fair.
Unfortunately, pastures in the northwest are in the poorest condition in the province due to dry conditions for much of the growing season. Currently, only seven per cent of pastures are in good condition while 34 per cent are fair, 30 per cent are poor and 29 per cent are very poor.
Topsoil moisture levels in the northwest are low which contributes to the largely poor pasture conditions. Currently, cropland topsoil moisture is 39 per cent adequate, 48 per cent short and 13 per cent very short. In hayland areas, topsoil moisture is 33 per cent adequate, 40 per cent short and 27 per cent very short. In pastures, topsoil moisture is 29 per cent adequate, 43 per cent short and 28 per cent very short. Reporters are emphasizing that rain prior to freezing and abundant snowfall this winter is needed to improve soil moisture levels for pastures and next year’s crop.
Since finishing harvest, producers have been busy applying fertilizer, storing grain and servicing equipment. Livestock producers are baling straw, hauling bales, moving cattle home and preparing livestock for market.
