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September 23, 2026 - Delayed Harvest and Heavy Disease 

We say hello to harvest, but are we seeing desirable production? 

Fall harvest brings a stir of life into the agriculture community. The fields begin buzzing with equipment, the traffic on roads increase – a reminder that it is everyone’s responsibility to slow down and share the roads — and farm family homes have a revolving door of meal preps and parts pick up. Harvest is in full swing across Alberta. Within Clearwater County, a majority of haying operations are wrapping up and canola fields are swathed, but many cereals still stand. 

As of September 8, 21 per cent of the province’s major crops have been harvested, according to the latest Alberta Crop Report. Progress still remains well below the 10-year average, attributable to the decreased sun hours and increased moisture levels throughout the growing season. With crop stands being left for longer periods of time, we know the risk of disease increases.

Although, delayed harvest isn’t always a negative.  Leaving grain or corn standing longer in the field allows natural wind and air drying to reduce moisture. This saves on fuel and dryer operations. Spacing out field operations helps with labour, allowing time to prioritize more vulnerable fields first. In most situations, harvesting within the narrow window of Mother Nature’s optimal time frame is essential. 

Western Crop Innovations stated that across Alberta as a whole, leaf cereal crop disease is at a near record high. Particularly in central and northern Alberta, saturated soils, standing water and delayed field operations continue to affect yield potential. 

The top and most common cereal crop diseases present across Alberta currently are Fungal Leaf Spot, Wheat Stripe Rust, Bacterial Leaf Streak and Fusarium Head Blight, according to the Government of Alberta. Numerous sources, including Alberta Seed Guide, have reported on not just the increase of disease but the rise of new cereal crop diseases. 

We know the obvious solutions to avoid harboring crop disease, such as planting resistant seed varieties and using clean seed, applying seed treatment, practicing extended crop rotations, managing crop residue and controlling weeds and volunteers. But even the most promising producer who follows all the best management procedures can be left battling crop disease. This is where new crop genetics come into play. 

Similar to herbicide resistance in weeds, cereals planted with disease resistant seed are becoming susceptible to diseases. The only solution here is the development of new genetics in our seed. But is this a foreseeable future solution? 

According to The Western Producer, it takes Canada 11-13 years to develop and bring a new cereal crop variety to market. Comparatively, the United States continuously develops new cereal crop genetics, with major breeders releasing updated commercial varieties and hybrids on an ongoing, annual cycle. The contrasted timeline is unfortunate, even more so considering the recent closure of our major agriculture research centres.

Crop disease is a tough opponent, but farmers and scientists are fighting back, and innovation always wins. Even though we are not seeing intense speed in the progression, there is still progression. The Agriculture and Community Services Department will always continue to provide support to producers here in Clearwater County and we want to wish everyone a safe and happy harvest!