Recent rainfall has slowed Prairie harvest progress, but it has also boosted soil moisture in some areas that badly needed it.
As can be seen on the map below, much of western Saskatchewan and eastern Alberta saw anywhere from 150% to more than 200% of normal rainfall in the month of September, with a pocket south of Winnipeg also unusually wet.
Soil moisture readings from the latest weekly crop reports confirm the improvement. According to Thursday’s Saskatchewan crop report, cropland soil moisture across the province was rated 64% adequate and 36% short to very short as of Sept. 23. That compares to early September, when cropland soil moisture was rated just 40% adequate and 60% short to very short. Saskatchewan’s Southwest Region in particular saw significant improvement, with cropland soil moisture rated 51% short to very short as of Sept. 23, down from 92% at the beginning of the month.
As for Alberta, surface soil moisture was rated about 51% good to excellent as of Sept. 24, up from 33% at the beginning of the month.
In Manitoba, the latest weekly crop report described soil moisture across the province’s agricultural areas as variable, but with the majority showing optimal or wet soil moisture conditions at the surface depths.
Meanwhile, other portions of Alberta and Saskatchewan received below normal rainfall in September, including parts of the Peace River District, northeastern Saskatchewan and Manitoba’s Interlake region.
The extended outlook for the Prairies suggests unusually dry conditions for the next couple of weeks, which should help put the finish on this year’s harvest.
