Harvest on the horizon for farmers in Saskatchewan

Saskatchewan was hit with very sporadic weather throughout the week, prompting a mix of emotions from farmers.

According to the week’s crop report, some regions had hot, dry days while others experienced cool rainy days that delayed many harvests.

As Saskatchewan approaches mid-August, most of the province has yet to begin harvesting. Only one percent of producers in the province have started harvesting.

The province said that’s slightly below the five-year average (2017-2021) of two percent. At this point in 2021, the province’s harvest progress was seven percent, showing how different the province’s growing conditions were between this year and last year.

As harvest begins, SGI also warns drivers to look out for farm equipment on the highway and dirt roads.

According to SGI, there are a number of collisions between motor vehicles and farm equipment each year, and injuries are more likely to occur.

In the past five years, 86 collisions involving farm machinery have been reported on Saskatchewan roads, resulting in 41 injuries and seven deaths.

To avoid pre-harvest accidents, SGI has a number of tips, including:

• This way you can keep your attention on the road at all times
• Farm machinery moves slowly so you’ll run into it quickly at highway speeds.
• On grid roads, which are narrower and give motorists less room to overtake, you are even more likely to see farm machinery.
• Do not pass unless you are sure it is safe to do so. Take it easy, slow down and enjoy the scenic countryside views if you can’t safely maneuver the equipment until it’s off the road.
• It’s important to be patient and remember that the person driving or towing these farm implements is likely moving them from one field to another over a short distance.
• Following too closely can land you in the farmer’s blind spot. Hold back a little.
• The machine may not have turn signals. Drivers preparing to pass farm equipment should ensure the farmer is not about to turn left into a field. Look down the road and anticipate where the farmer might go.
• Leave plenty of room as you pass, as farming implements can be deceptively long and wide.

In terms of soil conditions, the lack of rain delays many harvests.

Most of the southern half of the province hasn’t seen much rain in the past week, with most reports of precipitation ranging from trace amounts to 10mm; however, the Weyburn area received 25 mm.

Further north, the Rosthern and Haag areas received 35mm, while to the west, Macklin area producers received up to 61mm over the course of an evening.

Prince Albert also received some localized and very heavy rainfall, with some producers reporting 71mm over two days.

The downward trend in topsoil moisture is continuing, as it has rained very little and rarely in the last few weeks. The topsoil moisture of the arable land is currently assessed as a three percent surplus, 58 percent as sufficient, 24 percent as too low and 15 percent as very low.

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