According to the province’s weekly crop update, significant harvest progress was made this week due to warm and dry weather. Producers now have 38 per cent of the 2012 crop combined and 33 per cent is swathed or ready to straight combine, according to Saskatchewan Agriculture’s Weekly Crop Report. The five-year (2007-2011) provincial harvest progress average for this time of year is 26 per cent combined and 32 per cent swathed or ready to straight combine.

Harvest progress varies across the province. The southwest has 69 per cent combined, the southeast 56 per cent, the east-central region 28 per cent, the west-central region 23 per cent, the northeast 14 per cent and the northwest 12 per cent. Ninety-nine per cent of winter wheat, 24 per cent of spring wheat, 45 per cent of durum, 29 per cent of barley, 31 per cent of canola, 65 per cent of mustard, 73 per cent of lentils and 86 per cent of the field peas have been combined.

Across the province, topsoil moisture on cropland is rated as six per cent surplus, 64 per cent adequate, 25 per cent short and five per cent very short. Hay land and pasture topsoil moisture is rated as two per cent surplus, 59 per cent adequate, 27 per cent short and 12 per cent very short.

Rainfall this week ranged from trace amounts in the majority of the province to 34 mm in the Dorintosh area. Some areas of the province received strong winds that have blown canola swaths across fields and shelled standing crops. Hail has caused some damage in the west-central region.

Farmers are busy harvesting, seeding winter cereals, hauling bales and controlling weeds on harvested acres.

Follow the 2012 Crop Report on Twitter at @SKGovAg.