The cereal grain harvest in the region is well behind the five-year average, principally because of wet summer weather and its impact on operations, the Mountain View County agricultural service board heard.
Grant Lastiwka, with Alberta Agriculture in Olds, gave his regular monthly update to the board on Sept. 9.
“People are about 14 per cent behind for our region,” said Lastiwka. “Other regions are even further behind. It's an average of 17 per cent behind for the province, and that is looking at a five-year average.
“Last year we were behind too, but not as far behind as we are this year. The later moisture has kept the crops coming, with some second growth. Some of it has to do with the inability to swath or even desiccate crops (which fixes crop growth) at the time that was desirable as they worked around the weather.”
The biggest need in the region right now is for a period of dry weather, he said,
“Once the combines get going it is a function of how many days they can run,” he said. “We are getting really good at being able to take off a lot of crop at once. Depending on the weather they might choose to straight cut and not even swath and that allows for some efficiencies there.
“We will have to wait and see. Some producers are swathing and some of that has to do with wet fields, to dry them up a little bit so the combines can get in and not get stuck.
“The last thing we want are weather events now that are going to be damaging to what is already wet fields.”
Weather patterns have certainly been variable across the region this summer, he said.
“Those people that got hay off early in certain areas got some excellent second cuts coming,” he said. “Others of course are just trying to get the first cut off. So it's been a real mix of things.
“The comment right now is in general we are looking at good feed supplies. Quality might be another story depending on who you are.”
The large corn crop in the U.S. this summer is putting pressure on grain prices in Western Canada, he said.
“In fall time the prices always come down,” he said. “The barley prices are down. The canola prices have softened. In general the large U.S. corn crop is putting negative pressure on our cereal crops.”
Beef prices are down markedly over the same time last year, he said.
“There has been a huge tumble down, a huge adjustment,” he said.
“My understanding is the herd numbers haven't grown. They've killed heifers to make up for that.”
Board member and councillor Duncan Milne said at least some of the price decline is due to the overall downturn in the economy.
“There's a lot of people out there who just can't afford it unfortunately,” said Milne.
Lastiwka also updated the board on forages.
“Forage seed prices were very high this year and it looks like they are going to be next year too,” he said. “What I'm seeing with the alfalfa seed industry yields are about half due to the wet weather and everything.”
In other board news, members have approved proposed changes to the municipality's northern pocket gopher control program. The move also came during the recent regularly scheduled council meeting.
The program is in place as a means of controlling the gophers, which have been declared a nuisance under the Alberta Agricultural Pest Act.
“With the 2016 program being wrapped up for the year changes are being proposed for the upcoming year's procedure,” administration said in a briefing note to the board. “It is recommended that the $1 a tail up to 500 tails be changed to $100 for 100 tails for the first 50 Mountain View County residents. This change has been suggested in order to maintain a fair and better controlled program for all participants.”
The matter will now go before county council for consideration.
"Last year we were behind too, but not as far behind as we are this year."Grant LastiwkaAlberta Agriculture
