According to the latest Alberta harvest report In 2024, 99.9 percent of the southern region’s crops have been harvested.

All that’s left to come out of the ground are pockets of canola, flax and sugar beets.

Despite the pessimism heading into the growing season, farmers were pleasantly surprised by the amount of rain they received.

“This spring we were rationed with irrigation water, so that was very concerning for us,” said Gary Stanford, who farms outside Magrath.

“Then when we got a lot of rain, (which helped) relieve the pressure on the irrigation system.”

While crops on drylands suffered from the heat of July and August, yields of major crops in the southern region increased by 12.4 percent compared to the five-year average.

“The heat in July kind of hurt some crops, especially canola,” Stanford said. “So the drylands would be a little bit below average, but in this region, overall, I would say we’re happy with the yields we’ve gotten this year.”

As the harvest season draws to a close, attention turns to next year.

Farmers are hoping for a cold, snowy winter to help fill reservoirs.

With the onset of a La Niña winter, a rainy winter is more likely.

“It gives us a little bit more of something to hold on to when it comes to our seasonal forecasts,” said Alysa Pederson, warning preparedness meteorologist at Environment and Climate Change Canada.

The Farmer’s Almanac also predicted a cold and snowy winter.

This gives some growers hope for the next growing season.

“We were all pleasantly surprised to learn that the Farmer’s Almanac said it would be colder and snowier. And that’s actually very good for farmers. It helps get rid of some of the insects in the soil. And that also helps us, get a little more moisture,” Stanford said.

Oldman Reservoir is currently 60 percent full, which is just below normal for this time of year.

Both St. Mary and Waterton reservoirs are within their normal limits.