Producers in Saskatchewan were able to take advantage of the warm, dry weather to push the 2020 harvest ahead last week. The latest crop report from the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture has 15 per cent of the crop in the bin, with another 16 per cent swathed or ready to straight-cut. This is a jump from the four per cent last week, and ahead of the five-year average of 12 per cent.  

The percentage of the harvest complete is also well above where it was in 2019. At this time last year, there was just six per cent of the crop combined. 

Scattered rain across the province did cause some producers to have trouble getting out into the field, primarily in the northwest and northeast. The Turtleford area itself saw 83 mm of rain. However, despite the precipitation, all areas of the province have been able to get some of the crop off the field. 

Southwest Saskatchewan is the most advanced, with 31 per cent combined. The southeast has 19 per cent of the crop combined, west-central 12 per cent, east-central nine per cent, northeast four per cent and northwest two per cent.  

The scattered rainfall wasn’t helped by the extreme heat seen across Saskatchewan, as moisture levels continued to decline. For cropland, topsoil moisture is rated as one per cent surplus, 37 per cent adequate, 42 per cent short and 20 per cent very short. Hay and pasture land topsoil are rated as one per cent surplus, 27 per cent adequate, 41 per cent short and 31 per cent very short. 

The dry conditions have been having an impact on pasture conditions as well, with just two per cent rated excellent, 19 per cent good, 41 per cent fair, 8 per cent poor and 10 per cent very poor.