Two months of rain have turned this year's harvest from a stinker to a stunner, say county farmers.
Alberta Agriculture reports that some 18 to 21 centimetres of water have dropped onto much of Sturgeon County in the last 60 days. That's enough to have dragged soil moisture reserves back to near normal levels for much of the region, and to leave 95 per cent of the region's crops in good to excellent condition – well above the long-term average of 67 per cent.
Tam Andersen of Prairie Gardens and Adventure Farm said she's had about eight-and-a-half inches of water in her rain gauge so far this season – way more than the half-inch she had this time last year – and her crops are loving every drop.
"We have pumpkin vines that are starting to spring up to over a metre wide already," she said, and corn that's growing a foot a week.
"The strawberry crop is amazing," she continued, with kids hauling in hundreds of pails worth without making a dent in it. Contrast that to last year, when the whole crop was basically a write-off.
Farmer Wayne Groot said he hasn't had to do any irrigation for his potato crops yet, and that his wheat and peas were definitely looking above average. There aren't even many mosquitoes out.
"It's been just gorgeous."
The county has had good growing conditions since May 15, which has made for above-average wheat, barley, and canola, said Fred Redhead, director of operations at the Westmor Grain Terminal by Morinville.
"Conditions across western Canada right now from Edmonton to Saskatchewan are phenomenal."
Good, but not great
County farmers had a rough start this year, as they more or less didn't get any rain before May 15, Redhead said.
"We're in a good spot right now," he said, and most farmers are in a bit of a rest or lull as they wrap up spraying and gear up for harvesting.
Farmers are seeing more cutworms in their crops than normal, likely due to the mild winter, Redhead said. Hailstorms have smashed some crops around Redwater, and some fields north of Athabasca have been flooded out.
High moisture and thick crop canopies also mean an elevated risk of fungal infections such as ergot in wheat and blackleg in canola, which means many farmers have had to step up their fungicide use, said Neil Blue, crop market analyst with Alberta Agriculture.
Another worry is the effect of a bumper crop. There's already a global glut of wheat, and a big harvest could drive prices down even further.
The rains are also a mixed blessing to hay farmers, Blue said. The rain means they actually have hay to harvest (unlike last year), but it's been falling so often that they can't collect it while it's still in good condition.
"It's been a frustrating experience for most people."
Farmers aren't likely to see any jump in price for their crops this year due to the global surplus, Groot said. Many will have locked in higher prices months ago to take advantage of the high Canadian dollar, though.
Farmers will be looking for dry, warm weather over the next month to finish off the crops for September, Redhead said.
"Right now we're getting optimum canola-flowering weather," he said, as we're warm but not above 25 C (which is the point where petals burn off). The longer this weather holds, the more seed those canola plants will make.
Andersen predicted a solid but not a bumper crop if all went well.
"What we really need at this moment ... is really boring weather."
Visit agriculture.alberta.ca/cropreport to track the progress of this year's harvest.
