On September 14, 2023, StatCan released their latest crop production estimates for Canada based on yield models using satellite imagery and agroclimatic data. According to the report, “the Crop Condition Assessment Program indicates that overall plant health in the Prairie provinces was lower to much lower than normal as of August 31, raising the possibility that yields will be lower to much lower than normal…
Harvest is now in full swing in western Canada. Overall crop development has been ahead of normal across a good portion of the Prairies due to the hot and dry conditions through much of the season, allowing for an initial early start to harvest although recent rain events caused some temporary delays. This hasn’t caused a material setback in completing the harvest in a timely fashion, but the rain has caused some quality problems for the barley crop in certain areas with reports of pre-harvest sprouting, though the extent of the damage is still uncertain.
Seeding in western Canada started late this year due to a cold and delayed spring. However, good progress has been made in recent weeks as dry, warm conditions allowed for most regions to catch up, and there is little risk as to whether the barley crop will get planted in a timely manner.
2022 crop seeding was delayed in some regions of the Prairies due to precipitation in the Spring, including snowstorms in late April and early May, coupled with prolonged cool temperatures, which delayed producers from getting into their fields. As a result, crops were seeded 1-3 weeks late in many areas in western Canada with seeding continuing well into June this year.
The 2022 crop harvest in western Canada is wrapping up, ahead of the average pace in Saskatchewan and Alberta, while Manitoba’s harvest is about 2 weeks behind normal. Generally, warm and dry weather at the end of August and through much of September on the Prairies allowed farmers to pull off much of this year’s crop without significant delays or quality issues resulting from poor weather, except in parts of Manitoba where a late start coupled with some rains and high humidity during harvest slowed progress.
The 2021 barley harvest in western Canada was largely wrapped up by the end of September this year, with the exception of a few areas such as the Peace which were completed in October. By all accounts 2021 was one of the worst growing seasons in a generation with dismal results in terms of both the quantity and quality of this year’s barley crop in western Canada.
Crop conditions in Western Canada deteriorated through July and August due to severe drought which affected crop growth and development. Now rainfall is creating more concerns as farmers harvest their crops. The combination of drought and now wet harvest weather in some regions have significantly affected the size and quality of the western Canadian barley crop this year.
Parts of Western Canada are mired in the worst drought since 1988. Heat and lack of rain has caused irreversible production loss that will increase if dry conditions and lack of rainfall continue in coming weeks. The excessive heat in the southern region of Alberta and the Southwest region of Saskatchewan has caused the barley plants to shut down. These two regions traditionally produce over 2 million tonnes of barley, and it is estimated that 1.5 million tonnes of production is already lost.
2020 Malting Barley Harvest Quality Update
The barley harvest has all but wrapped up, and this year’s malt barley crop in western Canada will rate as one of the better quality crops in the last ten years with excellent plump kernels, high test weight and protein levels in the 11-13.5% range with a low incidence of DON and limited issues with pre-harvest sprouting. Southern Alberta produced their first large quality barley crop after three years of drought. Saskatchewan had a high quality crop this year with most regions producing above average yields. There were several exceptions, including northern growing areas of Alberta and northwestern Saskatchewan that saw cool and wet weather for much of the growing season, reducing yields and all but wiping out any chance for malting barley selection. On the other extreme, some parts of southern Saskatchewan and Alberta were much too dry resulting in thin, high protein kernels.
Official harvest progress by Province:
– As of October 13, Alberta barley harvest is estimated at 97.8% complete (source AB Ag).
– As of October 12, Saskatchewan barley harvest is estimated at 100% complete (source SK Ag).
– As of October 13, Manitoba barley harvest is estimated at 99% complete (source MB Ag).
