Southern Alberta farmers seeing higher-than-average yields this harvest

Better growing conditions have given southern Alberta's farmers one of the best harvests they've seen in years.

Southern Alberta’s farmers are putting the finishing touches on harvest, with more than 90 per cent of major crops out of the ground.

A dry spring had many producers thinking it would be another tough growing season, but a July that was among the wettest southern Alberta has ever seen almost single-handedly saved the harvest.

Most are seeing above-average yields while some reporting massive harvests.

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“We were all over the map,” said Stephen Vandervalk, a farmer from outside Fort Macleod.

“Wheat, canola and barley production is up compared to last year.

“We were anywhere from average barley yields to great barley yields, depending on when it was seeded.

“All our canola was pretty great. That would have been our best canola crop we’ve ever had.”

For the first time in years, many farmers won’t have to rely on crop insurance.

A dry fall also allowed for farmers to harvest much faster than usual.

“We can’t complain about the weather,” said Lynn Jacobson, president of the Alberta Federation of Agriculture.

“In fact, that’s been a bonus for quality across the province this year. Talking to a member up in the Camrose area and he said, ‘We’re going to get done in the third week of September and that never happens for us.’”

While higher yields are always good, it does come with drawbacks.

More product on the market has led to prices for most commodities tumbling.

Those who didn’t lock in prices in advance won’t be able to sell at the price point they hoped.

“We’ve gone from, say, durum prices up in the area of $12 a bushel last year, and even higher in some cases, to around that $9 for locked-in and even lower for cash prices at this point in time,” said Jacobson.

Canola remains an issue for most producers as well.

Chinese tariffs on Canadian canola have taken away the industry’s largest trading partner.

American farmers are being heavily subsidized by their government dropping prices further.

Promised support from the federal government for Canadian canola producers hasn’t materialized.

“The U.S. government stepped up. They caused the issue with tariffs, so they’re subsidizing their farmers. Canada caused the issue with canola, literally their fault, and they won’t do anything about it,” said Vandervalk.

Potatoes and sugar beets make up the majority of the major crops still being harvested.