Prior to the recent snowfall with harvest virtually completed, the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture weekly crop report focused on yields.
Yields varied across the province but the report stated “the majority of crop yielded below the 10-year average.’’
Only winter wheat and hard red spring wheat were above average with hard red wheat running 43 bushels an acre. Durum wheat yielded 24 bushels.
Among other cereals oats gave 82 bushels, barley was 56 bushels, and fall rye was 36 bushels.
Canola yielded 31 bushels an acre with flax at 18 and soybeans at 17. Mustard averaged 636 pounds an acre.
Lentils were 1,101 pound an acre with field peas at 31 bushels and chickpeas at 858 pounds an acre
Quality was generally high.
Fifty-nine per cent of spring wheat was ICW grade compared to the 10 year average of 43 per cent.
In durum, 46 per cent was ICW compared with a 33 per cent average.
Only 38 per cent of winter wheat made top grade compared to half in the average.
Eighty-three per cent of canola was top grade, two points better than average.
The 30 per cent of top grade barley was equal to the average.
Thirty-six per cent of oats was number one, 10 points better than average
Sixty-two per cent of rye was top grade, better than the 47 per cent average.
Field peas averaged 46 per cent top grade, nine points over average.
The 29 per lentil average was nine points better than average.
Flax top grade averaged 83 per cent — better than the 76 per cent 10-year average.
Ron Walter can be reached at ronjoy@sasktel.net
