Saskatchewan

Harvest 72% done, but rain a worry in Sask.

After a slow start, Saskatchewan's 2009 harvest has caught up with the five-year average, with 72 per cent of the crop in the bin.

After a slow start, Saskatchewan's 2009 harvest has caught up with the five-year average, with 72 per cent of the crop in the bin, the government says.

However, concerns are being raised about the recent wet weather affecting wheat, canola and other crops.

Warm, dry conditions last week were big factors allowing farmers to get more of the annual job done. The week before, only 50 per cent of the crop was in the bin, the Agriculture Ministry said Thursday.

The five-year average for this time of year is 68 per cent harvested.

Prospects for the week beginning Wednesday are not as sunny, however.

Rain has already slowed harvest in some areas of the province and there was more heavy rain over the last few days.

Dry weather needed

Farmers in the northern regions will need decent and dry weather in the next two weeks to get most of the crop into the bin, the ministry said.

Meanwhile, NDP leader and agriculture critic Dwain Lingenfelter said the wet harvest is a serious problem and he wants to see action from Premier Brad Wall's Saskatchewan Party government.

In particular, because so many farmers are now being forced to use grain dryers, the government should speed up a proposed natural gas rate cut, Lingenfelter said in a release.

SaskEnergy has applied to reduce natural gas rates by about 12 per cent, beginning Nov. 1.

Lingenfelter said it's not fair that the decrease kicks in after the harvest season is over, and after some farmers have spent thousands of dollars drying their grain.

Instead, the cut should be made retroactive to Sept. 1, he said.

Wet conditions are widespread, but not everywhere in Saskatchewan. Soil moisture has been assessed as "short" or "very short" on 38 per cent of the crop land.