Rain brings harvest to a halt

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“Nothing’s going to be moving for a while.” 

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Producers will also have to deal with more weather-related challenges when they can start to get active in the field again. McFarlane said the rain is extremely hard on infrastructure like gravel roads, not to mention heavy loads like loaded semis or other farm equipment. 

“Just sometimes getting from an approach into a field is going to be a challenge,” McFarlane said. “There are a lot of complications with this amount of rain, especially at this time of year.” 

The effect of the rain on the crops varies, but it’s safe to say wet weather like this is a bad thing for all of them. McFarlane said canola should be able to tolerate the moisture levels reasonably well and will dry out with some sun and wind.  

“Hopefully there aren’t any cereals that are swathed; this is disastrous for [them],” McFarlane said.  

There are times when it gets this wet that standing cereals can sprout, and McFarlane said the moisture is likely very hard on cereal crops.  

With the late spring seeding, McFarlane said many producers would likely have drying equipment on standby regardless.  

“Many farmers that have those drying facilities will have them ready and would have had them ready anyway,” McFarlane explained. “Farmers are prepared for that, and although it’s not the kind of break you want to have in September, it will dry up and they’ll be ready to roll, and there will be lots of activity.” 

The cool temperatures also mean that it will take longer for the conditions to dry. The remainder of the week is expected to have high temperatures from the mid-teens to the low 20 C mark, with overnight lows dipping down to as low as 4 C later this week. 

Despite the harvest setback, McFarlane said most producers are used to the ‘stop and go’ nature of getting the crop in the bin. 

“I’ve talked to a few farmers that have been doing this for a long time, and they’ve seen it all,” McFarlane said. “They’ve seen the beautiful harvest weather and things get done in a timely fashion and everyone’s happy, but they’ve also dealt with snow, they’ve dealt with the crop being left out and combining in December when the ground freezes.” 

“They’ve experienced it, they know how to handle it, it’s not ideal, but they always find a way of getting the job done.” 

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cam.lee@pattisonmedia.com