More rainy and cool conditions around Saskatchewan made for another slow week for harvest efforts around the province. Southeast Saskatchewan saw the least amount of moisture compared to the rest of the province, and most farmers were able to get combines out in the field.

It was just a three percent increase from last week, meaning the southeast region now has 87 percent of crops in the bin. Despite the recent struggles, it's still well ahead of the five-year average of 69 percent.  

"There were some combines that were able to go between the rains, particularly in the southeast. Some areas didn't receive very much at all," Daphne Cruise, a crop extension specialist said. "The days were cloudy and cool, but some producers were able to head out because there wasn't any rain impeding harvest."

Although the forecast isn't calling for much rain in the next week or so, Weyburn and area could see some frost overnight with temperatures dipping well below zero. As much as a pain as it is for people, according to Cruise the crops actually shouldn't be affected.

"Most of the crops are at the maturity stage where the frost shouldn't hurt them too much. There may be some cases where some soybean fields aren't quite there yet. But it sounds like for the most part, the freezing temperatures won't hurt crops too much,"  she said. 

Despite dealing with a string of poor weather and conditions for harvest, the focus for farmers is on getting out of the field. Cruise mentioned farmers are able to use different techniques, such as aeration or grain drying, once the plants are in the yard.

"The issue now is that it's been sitting out for a couple weeks. Up until that point, the quality was pretty good in most crops, but as it continues to sit out we'll see quality losses and grade losses," Cruise explained.

Producers are up to 68 percent completed harvest overall in the province. At this time last year, just 50 percent of crops were in the bin in Saskatchewan. Regions up north have been getting hampered by soggy conditions for up to three weeks now. Roughly 30 percent of harvest has been completed up north, well behind the five-year average of 53 percent.