Farmscape for August 2, 2019

Saskatchewan Agriculture reports delayed crop development across the province is raising concerns over the potential for damage if crops are hit by an early frost.
Saskatchewan Agriculture released its weekly crop report yesterday.
Cory Jacob, a Crops Extension Specialist with Saskatchewan Agriculture, says crop development is variable across all regions with some crops on par with normal but others one to two weeks behind so there are some worries about the potential consequences of an early frost.

Clip-Cory Jacob-Saskatchewan Agriculture:
Provincially topsoil moisture on cropland is two percent surplus, 76 percent adequate, 21 percent short and one percent very short.
On hayland and pasture we have one percent surplus, 66 percent adequate, 29 percent short and four percent very short.
So we are not too bad in the moisture situation but there are parts of the province that could use a shot of rain, just for the topsoil moisture to replenish.
It'll only really benefit later crops.
It'll help them with heads and pods filling.
Any of the crops that are starting to turn right now, it's not going to be overly beneficial to them.
For crop damage, we're hearing strong winds, hail, localized flooding, insects such as grasshoppers and aphids causing crop damage.
Then there's some reports of Ascochyta blighting the chic peas that's kind of gotten away and caused some damage.
Overall, it's probably give or take about average for a year.
Being a bit drier to start with, we're seeing a little less disease pressure and not too terrible for insect pressure yet.
Definitely the hail and the wind damage, I would think that would be on about par.
We never want to see it but Mother Nature brings that and we have to take what we get in that regard as well.

Jacob says, within the next week or so growers in the southeast or southwest could begin desiccating pulse crops and the winter cereals are also on the verge.
He says there could be some harvesting going on now, but there haven't been any reports of that.
For Farmscape.Ca, I'm Bruce Cochrane.

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