The moist weather which has been affecting Southern Alberta has caused this year’s fall harvest season to be delayed.
In the past week, Lethbridge has received temperatures ranging from minus one to 18 C.
The weather has been mainly a mix of sun and cloud but there have been days where Lethbridge got a bit of moisture.
When crops gets wet, farmers cannot harvest due to the wet fields.
The crop’s final product can become moldy, therefore, decreasing the value of the crop.
It takes an average of five to six days for the field to dry up and be ready for harvest exclaimed Leighton Kolk, owner and operator of Kolk Farms Ltd.
According to the Agriculture Financial Services Corporation article, Alberta Crop Report, on Sept. 18, 2018 crop production has dropped 23.4 per cent from last year.
Kolk farms 2,500 acres near Picture Butte which includes growing seed canola, corn, winter wheat, soft wheat and barley.
Kolk is concerned about his canola crop as the moisture will lower the price of the crop on the open market.
“The canola seed will start to sprout so it won’t be good anymore. It will also start to mold which will decrease the value of the crop.”
The canola has been swathed for three weeks already and the winter wheat has been harvested.
The farm only has harvested 25 per cent of the crops.
In the same AFSC report it mentioned 66 per cent of spring wheat has been harvested whereas canola is only at 47.5 per cent harvested in the south region of Alberta.
The five-year average is 76.7 per cent.
The two strands of spring wheat Kolk is growing is hard red wheat and white wheat.
Since everywhere north of Red Deer has been snowed on, wheat prices are dropping and being downgraded to feed says Kolk.
He explains how moisture and snow affects the wheat crop.
“It will be downgraded to feed from export or milling quality because it’s been bleached and the rain has downgraded it.”
From January to September 2018, the wheat prices in Lethbridge have dropped by 30 cents per bushel according to Cargill Lethbridge.
The local farmer adds this can be beneficial for farmers who are purchasing wheat but will have a negative impact for those who are trying to sell their wheat.
Farmers will now be looking forward for the weather to become warmer and dryer so they can continue harvesting.
