Harvest in Saskatchewan is essentially wrapped up. 

The latest crop report from the provincial Ministry of Agriculture, released Thursday, showed 99 percent of the crop is in the bin across the province. This is well ahead of the five-year average for harvest, which is 79 percent.  

The weather was favourable throughout the fall to allow producers to get the crop off the field. However, the season long drought and the extreme heat seen throughout the summer meant the crop yields were much lower than average. As for quality, most crops are reported to be within the top two quality grades. 

While harvest is done, moisture levels continue to be a concern with much of the province receiving minimal or below average rainfall. This means significant precipitation will be needed in the fall and winter to replenish the moisture levels. Currently, the topsoil moisture for cropland is rated as 12 percent adequate, 43 percent short and 45 percent very short. As for hay and pasture land, topsoil moisture is reported as eight percent adequate, 35 percent short and 57 percent very short.  

The dry conditions have also had an impact on winter cereals, with the number of seeded acres below normal. The winter wheat acres are expected to drop by 17 percent, and fall rye by 12 percent.