Harvest begins

I saw the first combine of the season working on field peas today. I’m told that some red lentils are also being combined in the area. It’s amazing how quickly the heat has pushed crop maturity, especially on pulse crops. I started desiccating my large green lentils this evening so they might be ready for the combine in a week or so. In most areas of Saskatchewan, harvest won’t start for a while yet, but in this region the first operations are underway. The extreme southwest corner of the province is usually the first to see harvest activity, but they had seeding delays from wet weather this spring. This pocket northwest of Swift Current had some of the earliest seeding with some crops going into the ground before the end of April. There are still lots of spring cereal crops that are completely green, but there has been dramatic ripening in the early seeded field peas and lentils. An early harvest often means disappointing production, but the crops look pretty good. I haven’t heard any yield reports yet. I’m Kevin Hursh.