THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2014
VOL. 92 | NO. 37 | $4.25
NOBLE ENDEAVOUR |
SERVING WESTERN CANADIAN FARM FAMILIES SINCE 1923
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NOBLEFORED MUSEUM
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A combine from the Noble farm works a barley field south of High River, Alta., late into the evening. Harvest progress has been delayed in many regions across the Prairies and quality concerns are starting to rise. | MIKE STURK PHOTO PRAIRIE HARVEST | OUTLOOK
Crop quality, quantity sliding SASKATOON NEWSROOM
Western Canadian farmers who took off a record-sized, high quality crop in 2013 will likely be harvesting an average sized crop this year with below average quality, industry observers acknowledged last week. As of late last week, about 15 percent of Western Canada’s 2014 crop had been harvested but already there are worrisome signals that the quali-
ty will be much lower than expected. In many parts of the West, especially in southern and eastern Saskatchewan and southern and western Manitoba, untimely rains, disease, sprouting and lodging have dampened harvest expectations. The threat of frost damage is also weighing heavily on farmer’s minds, especially in areas where crop staging is well behind normal. Snow fell in parts of Alberta Sept. 8. Accumulations of five to 10 centi-
metres were expected in some areas, enough to delay an already late harvest for a few more days. “It’s very early on … so hopefully it’s going to change but what we’ve heard and seen so far is that rain has caused mildew in … wheat crops and grades are going as low as No. 3 and feed,” said Daryl Beswitherick, program manager of quality assurance with the Canadian Grain Commission. He said they are also seeing some sprouting.
Fusarium damage is a major degrading factor in winter wheat samples from southern Manitoba and Saskatchewan, he added. Some winter wheat growers may have trouble finding a market for their grain unless fusarium damaged kernels can be cleaned out and deoxynivalenol or DON can be reduced to levels tolerated by the commercial grain and feed industries. SEE CROP QUALITY, PAGE 2
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The Western Producer is published in Saskatoon by Western Producer Publications, which is owned by GVIC Communications Corp. Publisher: Shaun Jessome Publications Mail Agreement No. 40069240
SEPTEMBER 11, 2014 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: Box 2500, Stn. Main, Saskatoon, SK. S7K 2C4
Average yield still possible | Disease, sprouting, bleaching issues cause downgrades BY BRIAN CROSS
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