Snow across Alberta brings fall harvest to abrupt standstill

What was shaping up to be a good yield for Alberta farmers came, at least temporarily, to an abrupt halt when snow blanketed the provinceover the Thanksgiving weekend.

"It was looking really good, but it's all wet now," says Glen Stankievech who runs a mixed farm near Trochu.

With 60 per centof his canola and barley still on the field, Stankievechhad to call anend to his harvest Friday morning when thebuild up of heavy, wet snow made it impossible to continue.

"The trucks were consistently getting stuck. So finallyit just got (to be) too much snow and we had to quit."

While the Octobersnow put a stop to theharvest, for many the harvestwas already long delayed by the wet September.

"Normally we're done by Sept. 5," said Stankievech, adding that nothing can be done until the fields dry up.

Humphrey Banack with the Alberta Federation of Agriculture says he estimates between 60 and 70 per centof the harvest is complete, andhe's hoping for a good stretch of warmer dry weather to get the harvest back on.

"If we can get back out and harvest this crop and put it into the bin, the losses will be significantly less than if it has to overwinter," saidBanack, whofarms near the hamlet of Round Hill, southeast of Edmonton, along withhis son and his brother.

He saidif crops stay on the field over the winter, the quality will drop, and so will the amount of revenue farmers will be able to earn.

"We have $600,000-$700,000 in the field yet out of our operation. That's a real hit to our cash flow not to have that. The grade will go down significantly if we have to over winter it."

Stankievech estimates his barley crop will fetch about half the amount it's worth now, if it can't be taken off the field until the spring.

"A pay cut of half is huge," he said,pointingout it won't be a total loss as he should be able to use the barley in the spring to feed his cattle.

While Banack is grateful for thedowntime over the holiday weekend, hewould have rather been outfinishing the harvest.

He's hopeful a change in the weather will bring a successful endto the harvest.

"Not to have to work over Thanksgiving weekend and visit with my family and friends was a bonus, but looking out the window to see it snowingsteadilywas really a challenge to truly enjoy Thanksgiving."

According to the most recentAlberta Crop Report publishedby Alberta Agriculture onOct.4, 2016, crop quality in the province was already starting to decline due to the extended harvest season.