Farmers face wet start to fall harvest

Sturgeon County farmers hope Mother Nature brings the heat this fall as they rev up for what could be a very muddy harvest.

The fall harvest has barely begun as of late August in Sturgeon County. The latest Alberta Crop Report showed 0.8 per cent of major crops (wheat, barley, oats, canola, dry peas) collected in the region as of Aug. 22 — slightly behind the 10-year average of 1.9 per cent.

“We’re on the cusp of action,” said Legal-area farmer André Montpetit, when reached Aug. 25. The main hold-up at this point was the soaked state of the soil, which made it tough to move equipment around without getting stuck or leaving ruts.

Alberta Agriculture reports about 80 to 150 mm of rain had fallen on Sturgeon County in the last 30 days as of Aug. 23, which was a one-in-three-to-12-year high for the region.

Craig Solberg of Sturgeon Valley Fertilizers said it was “wetter than hell” out in the county when reached on Aug. 28 — so wet that many farmers were using helicopters instead of trucks to spray weeds in their fields. This was a huge turnaround from two months ago, when drought-like conditions had some predicting an agricultural disaster.

Growth challenges

Forest fire smoke, the dry start to the season, and the on-again, off-again rains mean many grain crops started and sometimes restarted growing at different times, explained Bon Accord farmer Murray Mulligan. That makes for a mix of ripe, green, and overripe plants in each field, and a dilemma for farmers — do they grab what they can now and lose value to immature seed, or wait for more growth and see their ripe seeds deteriorate?

“It’s a bit of a balancing act,” Mulligan said, and it will likely lead to diminished crop quality.

Tam Andersen of Prairie Gardens near Bon Accord said this year’s hot, dry start pushed back development of her tomatoes and pumpkins but accelerated her apples, which were ready for harvest two weeks ahead of schedule.

“The size of the apples is second-to-none this year,” because of recent rains, she said, with strawberries and cucumbers also benefiting from the moisture.

Solberg said initial results suggest an average pea crop in Sturgeon of about 35-to-55 bushels an acre, with some barley fields reporting a surprisingly good 75-to-100. He projected a slow start to this year’s grain harvest, with serious work commencing around Sept. 10.

The Aug. 22 Alberta Crop Report projected yields roughly one per cent below the 10-year average for spring wheat, barley, oats, canola, and dry peas for the North West region (which includes Sturgeon County.)

Montpetit and Solberg said farmers hope to see warm, windy, dry conditions in the next few weeks to dry out fields so they can collect their crops. Rain and dew will mean slower work and more use of expensive grain dryers.

“We need warm, dry weather for as long as possible,” Solberg said.

Mulligan said his crews have been prepping their machinery and getting their sleep in preparation for an early September harvest rush.

Visit bit.ly/3YWLNXW for the latest Alberta Crop Report.