It was a good year overall for forage and turf seed growers across Western Canada.
Early season rainfall helped some crops to thrive this past year and caused worry for others. Luckily, later season heat made up for it in most cases, and crops across Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta saw high yields at harvest time.
Manitoba #
Going into 2024, perennial ryegrass crops in Southwest Manitoba were in less-than-ideal conditions. Seed Production Specialist Jason Henderson said the dry 2023 establishment season made for low quality stands – but the spring rains at the beginning of 2024 helped to build them back up.
“Yields ultimately ranged from average to well above average,” said Henderson. “Depending on the quality of the field and the establishment.”
Tall fescue stands in the region were in good shape going into 2024, if not a little on the dry side, and good fall moisture in 2023 made for a strong start. Spring then brought the moisture tall fescue needed, resulting in strong yields across the board.
Saskatchewan #
This past summer saw optimal weather conditions for both alfalfa seed crops and bee production. Seed Production Specialist Doug Senko said good June rainfall got alfalfa growing and the dry July and August heat stressed the crop to promote seed production and had the bees flourishing.
With the heat, though, insect pests were at an all-time high in the province, and Senko said continual management on threshold levels was key.
The weather stayed perfect for harvest and alfalfa yields ranged from 400 lb/ac to 600 lb/ac, with bee returns at 2.5 to three times the normal amount.
Things weren’t so positive at the beginning of the season for annual ryegrass growers in Saskatchewan. Excessive June rainfall had Senko worried the crop would go backwards, but the July heat revived it after three weeks and the crop yielded 2,000 lb/ac gross.
“I was astounded and again saw how resilient annual ryegrass is,” he said. “This wasn’t the first instance I have seen the crop overcome environmental hardship.”
Alberta #
With a mild winter leading up to the 2024 growing season, winterkill only affected a small percentage of acres in Southern Alberta. With most districts reducing irrigation allotments for growers in the region, concerns about the crops’ water needs arose quickly.
Luckily, spring and early summer saw seven to nine inches of rain (depending on the area), which took the pressure off irrigation systems and allowed for ample water for grass and alfalfa crops. May and June were not only wet, but cool, and the grass crops thrived under the conditions but were pushed back about a week compared to 2023.
July got hot during the flowering period for grass and alfalfa crops, and as August turned cool and wet, harvest was delayed for most crops in the region.
“Overall, it was a very good growing year, and producers did quite well in these fields,” said Seed Production Specialist Jordan Schmidt, noting alfalfa weevil continues to be a problem in the area, but with good management, the crops still have good potential.
The seeded crops in 2024 also did well in Southern Alberta, most going into 2025 looking healthy and well.
“The cooler growing season and extra moisture took a lot of pressure off of these crops, especially early on,” said Schmidt. “Grasshopper pressure did increase in the July heat and areas had higher pressure than others. We also had a wide-open fall that allowed fall seeded crops to get to a healthy size going into the winter.”
