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CABRI — Disappointed, but not surprised was the feeling Kevin Hursh had as he was combining over the last few days at his Cabri area farm.

Hursh was optimistic after a good start to the growing season and some timely rains, but that mood changed after last month’s heatwave.

Days into combining maple peas, Hursh expects the yield to be in the 20 bushel-an-acre range, adding neighbours who are harvesting red and green lentils are also reporting a yield of about 20 bushels.

“Certainly not what producers hoped for,” said Hursh. “I fully expected I would not be in a crop insurance claim situation this year, but the way things are looking it’s going to be border-line crop insurance, not heavy crop insurance claims … really disappointing after a month ago the potential looked so good.”

Hursh said he has a few more fields of maple peas to harvest before moving on to large green lentils. He also says any rain now would possibly help later seeded crops but more would do “quality damage and shelling damage” to crops.

“Even though it's lovely to see rain, now in this part of the world is really not the time for a substantial rain.”

Hursh has heard some producers contemplating the idea of using crops for feed, but he says they’re still good enough for harvest. He also says livestock producers will be OK for forage supplies this year, whereas last year producers “were scrambling for feed and selling off herds.”

The last provincial crop report had topsoil moisture for cropland at 41 per cent adequate, 49 per cent short and ten per cent very short. Pasture conditions are rated four per cent excellent, 37 per cent good, 42 per cent fair, 15 per cent poor and two per cent very poor. Producers with later-seeded crops are looking for rain to help with head and pod filling, but for more advanced crops, the yields are likely locked in. In southern areas, pulses are being desiccated and there is some very early combining. In the driest areas, cereal crops will be harvested for feed given concerns over yield potential under current conditions.

Harry Lake farms about seven kilometres southwest of Turtleford. Lake said smoke appeared to help his canola by keeping some of the heat at bay, keeping the flowers on the canola for a bit longer. But he says the yield will still be affected after noticing flowers on some canola plants didn’t mature and the pods look small. Lake says harvest in his area is “coming fast.”

As for pasture conditions, Lake said it needs more moisture. He said a pasture that’s on “lighter, sandy land” is starting to “go back” so cattle will need to relocate to another pasture that’s in better condition.

(With files from CJWW)