We did get some moisture – 9-10mm on our south land, which will help to fill those crops. Crops in the south look decent – we haven’t had an abundance of moisture, but with the cooler temperatures through late June and most of July – the plants have not been stressed.
Up north it is a different story. There is a 40km spread between the extreme north and extreme south – but it has been an entirely different climatic zone this year. We have been missing the majority of the rain this year. In fact, it has been over a month since we have had measurable precipitation on the farthest north land. The farther north you go, the worse it gets. If you continue to head north, into the Melfort and farther north – all the way to Nipawin – it has been extremely dry. This is typically a higher rainfall area, it is an anomaly that it is the drier area this year. Yields will likely be down 30% from normal in this area. The unknown factor is the cooler weather we have been having – if there is a surprise to the upside, it will be due to the cooler daytime highs and cool overnight lows.
Harvest is approaching – our earliest planted barley is a 6-row variety which is earlier maturing. With the dry weather it is coming in quicker, and could be ready by the end of the second week in August. Once that is off it will be a short break, and then some of our 2-row barley will be ready.
This next week looks to be hot (over 30C) for a few days, then cool off by the end of the week. There is also a chance for some rain….which would still help to fill….fingers remain crossed!
