A week of rain and snow has fallen heavy on Alberta fields, and on the shoulders of farmers who are waiting to harvest. 

Michael Buck is one part of the family-run Young Buck Farms west of Edmonton, near Peers. The family’s operation is a mix of 1,500 acres of wheat, barley, peas and canola, and 700 sheep.

Buck would like to be combining those 1,500 acres, but there’s snow sitting on his crops.

“We would normally have our canola swathed by now, our peas would be harvested, and we've done no canola swathing essentially. The peas are still in the field and we're not combining any wheat,” said the farmer. 

“This is the longest period of poor weather in September we’ve seen in the last four years.”

First, a late spring meant a late seeding. Then, Buck thinks the crops were stunted as a byproduct of the B.C. wildfires.

“(The smoke) blocked out the direct sun and it seemed that the crops kind of stalled as far as maturing went.”

Now, harvest is paused until the poor weather clears out and the fields dry up.

“With how wet it is right now we would need, I would estimate, a week of good weather before we could even entertain getting into the field and trying to do some harvesting.”

Edmonton has seen snow in September the last three years—the earliest on September 4, 2016.

Rain or snow can flatten crops, and make them harder to swath and combine. There’s also a chance the quality of the grain will be impacted, leaving farmers with a less valuable product. 

If the wet conditions continue, Buck said there’s a possibility his grain could be downgraded for animal consumption.

But the weather’s cost isn’t only financial.

“When you can't recoup anything from those crops you still paid those expenses, and there are other bills to be paid. It puts a financial and mental strain on things,” said Buck.

“This is my paycheque. This is what I use to feed my kids, to buy groceries, to feed the animals, for equipment and things. It wears on a person. You try to stay positive but day after day, it takes its toll.”

Farmers throughout Alberta are in a similar position. Snow fell near Grande Prairie, Red Deer, Sturgeon County north of Edmonton, and in southern parts of the province last week. 

Standing amidst 120 acres of unharvested wheat, Buck said, “This is a concern for farmers all across the province.”