A canola field in southern Alberta. (Lethbridge News Now)

By David Opinko

Southern Alberta farms lead province for crop harvests in 2019

Jan 6, 2020 | 10:59 AM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – Despite being a challenging year for farmers across Alberta, those in the south region were largely able to have a successful harvest.

That is according to the Alberta Ministry of Agriculture, who recently released their final report for the year, counting crop conditions as of December 3rd.

Measuring the progress of 15 different crops, 97.6% had been harvested in the area. The provincial average is 89.6%.

Harvest progress as of December 3, 2019. (Supplied by Alberta Ministry of Agriculture)

The Ministry says the fall season saw cold temperatures, untimely snow, and excess moisture that frustrated many Albertan farmers.

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“Harvest operations started then halted numerous times and many areas were taking off tough and damp grain just to get it off the field,” reads the report from the Ministry of Agriculture. “As a result, increased time and input costs for drying grain, moving grain from bin to bin or piling it on the ground is common along the foothills and northern areas of the province.”

In southern Alberta, one percent of all crops are still “standing” and one percent are “in the swath”.

“Acres left out for beans, beets, and potatoes will not now be harvested, and some producers may put cattle in to graze the poor yielding unharvested crops this winter.”

Officials say the weather caused continual headaches for producers province-wide. Those in the south and east dealt with a lack of rainfall for much of the growing season, while those elsewhere often experienced the opposite.

A hail storm in August decimated crops at some southern Albertan farms, including Molnar’s Taber Corn and Johnson Fresh Farms.

Harvests in the Peace region, in particular, have been dampened by early and continuous snowfall. As of December 3rd, only 67.6% of crops had been harvested.