Heavy Rains Slow Prairie Grain Harvests and Push Up Costs

In Saskatchewan, only 32% of the grain crop was in the bin during the Sept. 8‑14 report, far below the five‑year average of 71%. The province blamed widespread rainfall for forcing farmers to pause work.

Alberta’s situation is similar: just 21% of crops had been harvested by Sept. 8, compared with a 43.5% five‑year average, and a rainy weekend continued to slow both harvesting and baling.

Manitoba’s September 15 report shows the southwestern and northwestern regions at 27% and 19% complete, while the central and eastern regions are ahead at 59% and 62% respectively.

Rob Stone of Davidson, Sask., said the province has received about eight inches of rain since the end of August, leaving fields too wet to harvest and forcing many farmers to wait for drier conditions.

Jonothan Hodson, a cattle and grain farmer and board chair of the Manitoba Crop Alliance, warned that the delayed harvest will create higher costs for drying grain before it can be marketed.

Prof. Ranjan Sri Ranjan, acting head of the University of Manitoba’s biosystems engineering department, explained that water‑logged fields cause soil compaction and that installing tile drainage can cost between $1,800 and $2,000 per acre.

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