MarketsFarm – Timely rains in Manitoba have kept the province’s crops in relatively good shape, according to the latest crop report. Manitoba Agriculture said precipitation as of Aug. 1 amounted to as much as 73 millimeters around Zhoda in the southeast to 13 mm at The Pas in the north. Although several locales throughout the province didn’t receive any rainfall. The report noted that total accumulated precipitation from May 1 to July 31 was 163 to 254 mm.
The harvesting of winter cereals was underway with limited amounts of fall rye and winter wheat. Otherwise growers were applying pre-harvest herbicides or swathing their crops. The report said yields for open pollinated fall rye were 60 to 70 bushels per acre and up to 80 to 90 for hybrid fall rye.
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The spring cereals were in the intermediate to hard dough stages, although late planted crops were still in the early dough stage. On the whole, they continued to do quite well.
Manitoba Ag said the spring wheat rated 80 per cent good to excellent in the northwest region, with 20 per cent fair. The southwest and central regions were at 90 per cent fair to good with 10 per cent as poor. The eastern and Interlake portions had their wheat at 100 per cent fair to good. The earliest seeded fields could see the application of pre-harvest herbicide by the first weekend of August. Meanwhile, the corn was in the R1 silk to R2 blister stages.
The canola was said to be 80 per cent flowering to the mid pod fill stage, with most of the crop considered to be good although some was rated as fair. Despite the recent rains, drought stress was showing up as flowering was being aborted. The sunflowers were mostly in the R5.2 to R5.9 stages with some fields in the early R6 stage. The soybeans were in R4 full pod to R5 pod fill stages. While those crops are in fair shape, some fields in the drier area were showing signs of drought stress.
The field peas were in the late R5 to R6 stages with some of the earlier planted crops at R7. The start of harvest was estimated to be two to three weeks away
Manitoba Ag reported that beef producers were nearly finished their first cut of hay, while the dairy producers were wrapping up their second cut. However, yields were generally below average, and regrowth has been thin. Pasture conditions were deteriorating due to dryness.
— Glen Hallick reports for MarketsFarm from Winnipeg.
