Warm temps needed for Alta. crop growth

(Resource News International) — Wet weather conditions have slowed the development of grain and oilseed crops across the central and southern regions of Alberta, according to a provincial crop specialist.

“Crop development was probably the furthest ahead in the northern growing areas of the Peace River district,” said Harry Brook, a crop specialist with the province’s Ag-Info Centre at Stettler.

However, he noted, this region is also the driest and producers there have indicated a need for significant amounts of precipitation soon in order to prevent any crop stress.

Brook said crop development in the central region of the province was a week to 10 days behind normal while in the southern region of Alberta, crop development was three weeks behind the average.

Unwanted heavy precipitation in the central and southern areas of Alberta was again received Monday and again Tuesday, Brook said.

“Crops in those areas are turning yellow from the excess moisture with producers doing all they can to drain fields of the water,” he said.

An estimated 500,000 to one million acres of farmland in Alberta were believed to have been flooded out.

“That may not be a very significant number when you look at the provincial acreage base, but it still represents a large area,” Brook said.

Some lodging of crops was evident from the heavy thunderstorms over the past day with small isolated areas also experiencing damage from large hail.

If the wet areas of the central and southern regions were to get at least three weeks of warm, dry weather, the crops would benefit and potentially catch up in growth to some degree, he said.

“There are areas within Alberta in which there has been a good combination of rain and sun, and where the crops are progressing in excellent shape,” Brook said, noting that crop conditions in Alberta overall continue to be better than Saskatchewan’s.

Insect damage to crops was also evident although disease issues have not been a major problem yet, Brook said.