38 Follow us on Twitter: @PrairieFarming Better Farming | January 2024 availability of online submission, the report stands as a testimony of producers throughout time. In the 1970s, the report saw the beginning of the Green Revolution, which catapulted Saskatchewan into what is now modern agriculture. Yields began to increase, and inputs became more readily available. In the first reports, in 1974 under good growing conditions, yield estimates for hard red spring wheat ranged from 17 to 26 bushels per acre and canola ranged from 18 to 19 bushels per acre. In comparison, recent yield estimates for hard red spring wheat were just under 43 bushels per acres, and canola was 33 bushels per acre. An ever-interesting read, the historical crop reports told the tales of agriculture from specifically the Saskatchewan producer perspective. In the 1980s, the report created a permanent record of the dry conditions that plagued Saskatchewan, with high winds blowing for miles in the Prairie winds. It recorded the words of producers expressing their concerns about rising prices. The producers also discussed summer fallow and widespread tillage and using it as a soil management practice. With the advantage of modern research and armed with the knowledge we have now, we know that summer fallow, tillage and soil erosion go hand-in-hand. As the practice of summer fallow was removed by farmers and tilled acres slowly decreased, soil erosion is referenced less in the report. The use of pesticides became more common as they became more readily available and economical to producers. In the 1990s, the report started to see the beginning of technology rapidly advancing in agriculture, along with fluctuating price trends that stayed with producers well into the next decade. Now, the crop report tells the stories of the producers that contribute to it. On Wednesday mornings, the Moose Jaw office phones are constantly ringing, and the office is abuzz with the latest reports coming in. The report is one of the highest priorities within the office and is written religiously. It echoes the successes and fears of Saskatchewan producers and brings to light their resilient spirit for all to see. Their words are permanently pressed into the history of Saskatchewan and can be found in the public archives. The Saskatchewan Crop Report is triumphantly approaching the 50-year mark and the search for volunteers is an ongoing effort. Anyone with a land location can sign up to be a crop reporter. If interested, call 1-866-4572377. BF Mackenzie Hladun, MSc, AAg, is a crops extension specialist based in Moose Jaw, Sask. with the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture. Ag Insights
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