Cold weather across the prairie provinces has the Canadian Wheat Board projecting a 20 per cent drop in expected crop production for the 2009 growing season.

The CWB's forecast, released Thursday, examined seeding reports by farmers and focused on wheat, durum and barley.

The board expects a crop of 29.7 million tonnes, down from 36.7 million tonnes realized by farmers in 2008. The forecast is also below the five-year average production, which is 33.9 million tonnes.

Bruce Burnett, director of weather and market analysis for the wheat board, told CBC News that cold weather delayed spring planting and also adversely affected early crop development.

"Right now we project, with average weather, we would have the crops maturing at the end of August and early September," Burnett said.

He said harvesting the crop will happen around the same time as potentially harsh weather conditions, such as frost.

That, Burnett said, "raises all sorts of concerns from a quality point of view. Not only an early frost but even a more normal frost time might affect crop quality in certain areas especially if we were to receive below normal temperatures over the rest of the growing season."

Burnett noted that different parts of Western Canada experienced different problems. Parts of eastern Manitoba had too much moisture, which delayed seeding.

Central Alberta and west-central Saskatchewan, in contrast, have been too dry.

While some areas received relief, in the form of snow, last weekend, others are still waiting for much-needed moisture.