WEYEBURN - Producers in the southeast were making good progress in their fields before a series of large storms halted some harvest operations.
These storms caused delays as well as damage by blowing around swaths, lodging crops and flooding and hailing out crops.
The harvest in the southeast region as a whole is 28 per cent completed, but in the Weyburn region, and to the south and west, harvest is over 40 per cent completed. The progress for the southeast is ahead of the five-year average of 22 per cent.
For Weyburn area farmer Dennis Mainil, he estimates they are about one-third done harvest.
Asked how the crops were looking, he noted he just took off a field of canola, and said, "Harvest was looking good until the recent hail storm - but that's farming. It's a risk you have to love."
Some producers have noted their crops are not yet ready for harvest, and are hoping they dry down quickly to avoid any issues in September.
There has been significant progress with fall cereals, with winter wheat now 79 per cent in the bins, and fall rye is 86 per cent done. Field peas and lentils are also nearing completion, with 85 per cent of field peas and 73 per cent of lentils harvested for the year.
Producers are focusing on spring-seeded cereals, with 40 per cent of durum, 36 per cent of oats, 33 per cent of barley and 16 per cent of spring wheat harvested in the southeast. For oilseeds, mustard leads the progress with 53 per cent of the crop in the bin, and 11 per cent of canola harvested so far.
From the series of heavy downpours from thunderstorms, the Creelman area received about 76 mm of rain, and the Radville area had 55 mm, while the RM of Weyburn had 87 mm, and the RM of Brokenshell saw 60 mm of rain.
The heavy rain has flooded low-lying areas, and caused issues for farmers with swathed crops.
Soil moisture in the southeast improved due to the rain. Six per cent of crop land is rated to have surplus moisture, 70 per cent is adequate, 19 per cent is short and five per cent is very short.
Hayland topsoil moisture is rated as 56 per cent adequate, 38 per cent is short and six per cent is very short. Pasture land is rated as 54 per cent adequate, 38 per cent short and eight per cent very short.
Crop damage in the past week was mostly due to wind, heavy rain and hail damage, which saw some crops be completely cut down.
Producers are busy with harvesting and are working cattle. The recent rains will hopefully allow some cattle to stay on pasture longer into the fall and reduce the need to provide supplemental feed in the form of bales.
