Alberta Agriculture Statistics Yearbook, 2012
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Alberta Crops in 2012
The following presents a review of the crop season and an analysis of crop production statistics for 2012. Also, a
precipitation map for the 2012 crop season is shown for reference on page 96.
The 2012 Crop Season
Crop growing conditions in the province during 2012 were mainly favourable. Producers were off to a slow start across the
province given a wet cool May, but the remainder of the season was hot and dry with occasional precipitation which
provided producers the opportunity to make good harvest and crop of average quality. Provincial average yields were above
their respective 10-year averages. However, there was some crop damage due to adverse weather and crop diseases.
In 2012, seeding was later than normal across the province. The cool temperatures and several precipitation events in May
resulted in crop development falling behind. The province surface soil moisture ratings were high throughout the spring,
benefiting from several precipitations. Excessive moisture was a problem in the Peace Region, with over 60 per cent surface
soil moisture rated as excessive. Provincial seeding progress, as of May 17, 2012, was estimated as 55 per cent complete,
compared to 80 per cent in most years.
In June, the province received more precipitation that ranged between 10 mm and 120 mm. Despite the challenging
conditions earlier in the year, producers were able to complete seeding by early June. By mid-June, scattered hailstorms
were reported in the South, Central and North West Regions. For the most part, the hail damage was minor, but localized
areas in the Southern Region did experience severe damage. Overall, crop development was mostly delayed due to cool
weather and excessive moisture. Warmer weather was essential to further advance crop development. As of June 26,
surface soil moisture conditions were reported as 84 per cent good to excellent.
The warmer and dry weather in July and August allowed crops to advance quickly and catch up from earlier delays. Soil
moisture conditions remained excellent in most areas of the province with the exception of the Peace Region, where overall
crop conditions declined, due to a lack of moisture. The warm weather was ideal for harvesting which started in mid-August,
and was most advanced in southern Alberta. Provincially, five to six per cent of crops were harvested as of August 21, 2012.
Spraying for bertha army worm and diseases such as aster yellows and sclerotinia were reported in some areas of the
province.
In September, some areas of the province experienced variable weather, with strong winds, scattered showers and cool
temperatures affecting crops and slowing down harvest progress. Strong winds in mid-September caused a further loss to
canola crops through shelling out of swathed crop. Producers started to report lower yields than originally anticipated, due to
diseases, shallow rooted crops and the impact of heat stress in July and August. As of September 18, 2012, 60 per cent of
the cereal crops were in the bin. Also surface soil moisture conditions decreased from 84 per cent to 50 per cent as good to
excellent.
By early October, harvest was virtually completed. Overall, crop yields in the province in 2012 ranged from average to above
average. In terms of crop quality, grade estimates for both cereals and oilseeds were average, mainly as a result of the heat
stress in July and August, and diseases in late summer and fall.
Insects and Crop Diseases
With respect to pest infestations in 2012, the most noticeable damage was from cutworms, wireworms, flea beetles and
gophers. These incidences occurred particularly in the Central, North East and Peace Regions. In Southern Alberta, some
producers were spraying for diamondback moth early in the spring at crop emergence. However, they did not become a
threat later in the season. Grasshoppers were a moderate problem in some areas in the Peace and Central Regions.
Spraying for cabbage seed pod weevil occurred in southern Alberta at the canola flowering stage. Lygus bugs had lower
incidences in 2012. However, some spraying took place in canola, later in the season, in the Central Region.
Damp weather conditions in spring and early summer contributed to crop diseases in many areas later in the season. Many
incidents of sclerotinia and aster yellows were reported throughout the province, mainly in the Central, North East and North
West Regions. There were also incidents of blackleg in the province, especially in the South and North West Regions. There
was less ergot in cereals, despite the warm moist conditions at the flowering stage, and was mostly found in the Central
Region.
Forage and Pasture
In May, pasture showed a good start across the province due to adequate moisture conditions, especially in the South,
Central and Peace Regions. Provincially, May pasture was rated as two per cent poor, 16 per cent fair, 61 per cent good
and 21 per cent excellent. Throughout the summer, pasture ratings remained mostly unchanged, around 80 per cent as
good to excellent. By September, the ratings decreased to 70 per cent as good to excellent, due to the dry and hot weather
as well as lack of moisture throughout July and August.