Farmscape for October 23, 2023

Saskatchewan Agriculture reports, with harvest virtually complete, the majority of crops yielded below the ten-year average but quality was above the ten-year average.
Saskatchewan Agriculture issued its final crop report of the season Friday.
McKenzie Hladun, a crops extension specialist with Saskatchewan Agriculture, says harvest is virtually complete with 98 percent of the province's crop in the bin.

Quote-McKenzie Hladun-Saskatchewan Agriculture:
When we look at things a little more regionally what we see is that the vast majority of our regions are completed, however that east central area is about 94 percent completed.
Producers really showed their resiliency this growing season.
Those warm and dry conditions that we saw led to an early harvest for many and there were some concerns related to water quality and feed access for livestock.
However, once harvest began producers in some areas were pleased to see yields better than they expected.
In many cases harvest progressed smoothly with very little interruptions.
Now that harvest is completed producers are hoping for rain to replenish soil moisture for next year.
Although harvest is over for many fall work is still underway for producers.
Where there is enough moisture producers are applying fall fertilizer for next year, harrowing harvested crops off, livestock producers are hauling water for animals to ensure they have a safe water source, hauling feed and bringing cattle home for the winter.
Fall calving is also occurring on some operations.
Producers are planning for next year as well and are hoping that soil moisture improves to start next year's growing season.
Provincially we are also seeing that some fall cereals are going into the ground right now.
Seeded acreages for fall cereals is expected to remain relatively unchanged with a slight reduction of one percent for both fall rye and winter wheat.
If we look at things more regionally for those fall cereals, what we're seeing is that the southwest is expected to increase fall rye by 15 percent and winter wheat by seven percent.
The west central region is also expected to increase their fall cereal acres with winter wheat expected to increase by 14 percent and fall rye expected to increase by three percent.

Hladun says some yields were better than what producers were expecting this year but overall, the majority of crops yielded below the ten-year average with winter wheat and hard red spring wheat being the only crops that yielded above.
She says, in terms of quality, all of the crops are estimated to be above the ten-year average and within the top two categories.
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Bruce Cochrane.

       *Farmscape is produced on behalf of North America’s pork producers