July rains have helped improve crop conditions, according to Saskatchewan Agriculture's weekly crop report.

Weyburn producer Jeff Gaab said that crops in the area were doing better after receiving the recent moisture. "Development is coming along quite good, and we were able to catch up to the average a little bit with the last couple of rains. We still need a couple more rains to fill out some crops, but so far yields look okay."

During the past week, the southeastern region was wet and humid with some hail. An average of 22 mm of precipitation was reported, ranging from an average low of 13 mm reported in Crop District (CD) 1a, to an average high of 28 mm reported in CD 1b. Damage from hail, wind and flooding was reported across the southeast.

Specific hail damage reports include the Radville area, the Fillmore area and in the Montmartre area.

Crop conditions improved from last week for fall cereals, flax, canola, sunflowers, and canary seed. Crop conditions deteriorated for durum, triticale, mustard, and chickpeas. Other crop conditions remained on par with last week. In the Weyburn area some canola and flax crops are done flowering, while others are in full flower.

Topsoil moisture conditions on cropland improved this past week with the rain. Reporters rate 82 per cent of the crop land as having adequate topsoil moisture conditions, compared to 73 per cent last week. One per cent of the crop land is rated as having very short topsoil moisture. For hay and pasture land, 71 per cent is rated as having adequate topsoil moisture, compared with 59 per cent last week. Three per cent of the hay and pasture land is rated as having very short topsoil moisture.

Insects were the major source of crop damage this past week, with reporters citing damage from wheat midge, aphids, and grasshoppers. Insecticide spraying was general in many areas. Cereal fungal diseases including rust, smut, and fusarium caused damage mainly in CDs 1b and 2b, and fungicide applications took place.

First-cut haying operations are moving ahead in the southeast with 37 per cent baled or silaged, up from 23 per cent last week. Hay quality is generally expected to be good, though swaths are deteriorating because of the recent rainfall.

Haying operations are close to finishing on many Weyburn area farms. Gaab said that the yields "look smaller than average, because of the lack of moisture at the start of the crop season. It really depends on the age of the stand, as younger stands will have flourished more because they had the later rains."