(Resource News International) — U.S. farmers managed to get most of their canola off the fields before wet weather set in to delay the final stages of this year’s harvest, according to an official with the Northern Canola Growers Association, who said the crop generally saw good yields and quality this year.
Barry Coleman, executive director of the Bismarck, N.D.-based association, said there was still about 15 per cent of the crop left to harvest due to wet weather the past two weeks.
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Of what’s harvested, over 90 per cent has been grading as No. 1, according to Coleman.
He said he didn’t expect to see any quality concerns in the remaining canola, either, as it is currently dried out in the swath and no longer susceptible to frost damage.
“Barring any sprout damage, which I haven’t heard of yet, I think we’ll be in pretty good shape,” said Coleman.
As for yields, he said there were many producers getting some very strong yields, although the average will end up below last year’s record-breaking levels.
With forecasts turning drier, Coleman expected producers would be able to wrap up the canola harvest over the next week.
From a marketing standpoint, Coleman said producers have been selling more off the combine than normal, as prices have been strong.
U.S. crushers were also offering good prices farther out, he said, so there was also a fair bit of forward contracting taking place.
According to the latest U.S. Department of Agriculture data, the U.S. canola crop is estimated at 1.06 million tonnes in 2010-11, which would be up from 670,000 tonnes the previous year.
