Southern Alberta remained furthest along with planting reaching 97 per cent finished, advancing 10 points on the week. The northwest climbed 20 points, reaching 93 per cent done, followed by the central region at 89 per cent seeded on a gain of 16 points. The province’s northeast reached 86 per cent in the ground, up 22 points and the Peace leapt forward 23 points at 84 per cent complete.

By major crop, the planting of Alberta’s dry peas was virtually finished at 99 per cent, with the spring with at 97 per cent. Barley followed at 89 per cent done, the canola at 83 per cent and the oats at 74 per cent.

Provincewide crop emergence improved 26 points over the week, hitting 57 per cent. By region, the central was at 65 per cent, Peace at 64 per cent and the south at 62 per cent. Lagging behind were the northeast at 46 per cent and the northwest at 42 per cent.

As for surface soil moisture, the province was at 56 per cent good to excellent, down eight points from the previous week. The crop report noted that dry winds were largely responsible for the declines.

When it came to subsoil moisture levels, most of Alberta saw declines except for the central region which was up three points at 80 per cent good to excellent. A distant second was Peace at 52 per cent good to excellent but dropped 17 points on the week. The Peace was third at 50 per cent, the northeast at 41 per cent and the south at 39 per cent. Overall, the province was at 53 per cent.

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“For most regions, seeding has gone really well, and that’s a really good start to the crop season,” said Kim Stonehouse, crops extension specialist with Saskatchewan Agriculture.

Seeding was 88 per cent complete as of May 26, which is ahead of both the five-year average of 82 per cent and the 10-year average of 85 per cent.

Cropland topsoil moisture is rated four per cent surplus, 65 per cent adequate and 27 per cent short.

There are dryness issues in the northeast and west-central portions of the province, but nothing a good rain can’t fix.

“I don’t know that I’ve ever seen somebody lose a crop in May,” said Stonehouse.

Three-quarters of the spring cereals, oilseeds and pulses are experiencing normal crop development.

Some crops in the northern part of the province are ahead of normal development due to early seeding and a lack of weather interruptions.

“It is also an indication of dry conditions. In dry conditions, plants can tend to speed up,” said Stonehouse.

He did not specifically ask his crop reporters about emergence, but some in the southeast reported good emergence, while others in the northeast said it appears patchy.

There has been minor insect and frost damage, but nothing to fret about.

“Wind and dry conditions are probably the things I would worry most about. They can cause the most damage and reduce yields drastically,” said Stonehouse.

“Warm, windy conditions dry the topsoil out very quickly, which will starve the plants of moisture.”

Seeding was 90 per cent complete in Alberta as of May 27, ahead of the five-year average of 81 per cent.

Crop emergence was 57 per cent, well above the five-year average of 37 perc ent.

“Although recent rainfall provided some short-term relief, warm and dry winds have led to reduced soil moisture levels,” said Roy Larsen, director of the statistics and data development section of Alberta Agriculture.

Surface moisture levels are rated 55.8 per cent good to excellent. That compares to the five-year average of 68.6 per cent.

“Without adequate moisture, this could become a concern for sustained crop and pasture development, but it’s early,” he said.

Manitoba got a good jump on seeding this year, which helped get things off to a nice start in that province.

“Crops are looking good in general across the province,” she said.

Seeding progress was 85 per cent complete as of May 27, which is well ahead of the five-year average of 69 per cent.

“For most crops when you seed earlier, we do have higher yield potential,” said Anne Kirk, cereal crops specialist with Manitoba Agriculture.

Winter wheat and fall rye survival and growth looks terrific. Fall rye is heading out.

Seasonal accumulations of rain in Manitoba were close to normal for the May 1-25 period.

The eastern region and eastern portions of the Interlake region had accumulations of less than 60 percent of normal.

However, the southwest and parts of the central region have received more than 150 percent of the 30-year average.

Spring cereal seeding is almost complete with some of the earliest planted crops already at the three-leaf to one-tiller stage of development.

Canola seeding was 76 per cent complete as of May 27.

“There have been some reports of flea beetles and some issues with canola emergence due to some crusting on the soil,” said Kirk.

Some peas are already in the two to three node stage of development.

“Emergence in general has been a little slow and a little stagey, just due to some of the drier conditions and the fluctuating temperatures,” she said.

Dryness is a concern in some parts of the northwest, Interlake and eastern regions, but there is standing water in some fields in the southwest.

“Most producers would be happy to have some rain,” said Kirk.

Stonehouse said now is a good time to remind farmers to be careful around hot equipment given the dry conditions in some regions of the Prairies.

“Keep a fire extinguisher handy or a water truck close by, if possible,” he said.

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Producers in the southwest were the most advanced at 89 per cent complete, while the east-central region still had the most to go at 58 per cent done.

Field peas lead seeding progress by crop type at 92 per cent, followed by lentils and chickpeas at 90 per cent and 83 per cent, respectively. Large portions of many spring cereal crops have also been seeded. Triticale and durum lead cereal seeding progress was at 87 per cent, followed by spring wheat at 80 per cent and barley at 71 per cent. Canary seed and oat crops were 56 per cent and 55 per cent seeded, respectively.

Seeding progress for all oilseed crops reached the halfway point, with mustard at 84 per cent, canola at 58 per cent and flax at 50 per cent.

There was more rainfall in the province this past week compared to the week before, with the southeast corner of the province receiving the most precipitation. The rainfall helped replenish topsoil moisture in certain areas, while dry conditions in other areas continue to deplete topsoil moisture reserves.

Provincially, cropland topsoil moisture was rated as six per cent surplus, 69 per cent adequate, 22 per cent short and three per cent very short. Hayland topsoil moisture was rated as three per cent surplus, 64 per cent adequate, 27 per cent short and six per cent very short. Topsoil moisture levels in pastures were slightly drier as conditions were rated as two per cent surplus, 60 per cent adequate, 31 per cent short and seven per cent very short.

Seeding remains the primary focus for most producers in the province, but many are also busy spraying, land rolling and picking rocks. Livestock producers were also working to move their animals to the pasture for the season.

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The southwest region was farthest along, with seeding progress at 76 per cent complete. The east-central region still has the most to go, reporting 33 per cent complete.

On a crop-by-crop basis, field peas were 78 per cent seeded, lentils at 71 per cent and chickpeas at 65 per cent. For cereals, triticale was at 73 per cent, followed by durum at 65 per cent, spring wheat at 53 per cent, barley at 45 per cent, oats at 28 per cent and canary seed at 23 per cent. Of the oilseed crops, mustard was leading in seeding completion at 66 per cent, followed by canola at 29 per cent and flax at 28 per cent. Perennial forage was reported at 25 per cent seeded. Soybeans are the furthest behind in seeding completion at 14 per cent.

Overall, rainfall was fairly limited throughout the province over the past week.

Warm, dry and windy conditions continued to deplete topsoil moisture across the province. Producers were hopeful for moisture soon to help support crop development and improve hay and pasture conditions.

Topsoil moisture for cropland was rated at one per cent surplus, 61 per cent adequate, 35 per cent short and three per cent very short. Hayland was rated at 51 per cent adequate, 42 per cent short and seven per cent very short. Pasture topsoil moisture conditions were reported at 42 per cent adequate, 50 per cent short and eight per cent very short.

Livestock producers in areas of the province were hopeful for moisture to support water supplies moving into the season. Fifty-four per cent of producers currently estimate there are no shortages of on-farm surface water supplies for livestock occurring or anticipated, with 32 per cent estimating that shortages may occur in one to two months depending on future moisture conditions.

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Essex, Chatham-Kent, Lambton, Elgin, Middlesex, Norfolk, Haldimand, Brant and Niagara counties were provided with the two-day grace period due to wet weather creating difficult planting conditions.

Agricorp expects an influx of phone calls related to the delayed planting and asks customers to be patient.

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Differences in soil types, region and row spacing from crop to crop are primary considerations. Most growers find the 7.5-inch row spacing in wheat to be the main impediment to the one-planter option.

Horst Bohner, soybean specialist with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, has worked with different planters and seeders in research trials and is familiar with their limitations.

Most growers work with a drill for wheat, soybeans and winter canola and use a planter for corn, soybeans or canola. Planters are wider, can reduce seeding rates and are more accurate on depth.

The issue of planter versus drill comes down to singulation, says Bohner. At 7.5-inch spacing or narrower, only a seed drill has enough physical space between rows, with no room for a seed singulation mechanism.

“This is why most planters can only be reduced to 15-inch spacing,” he says.

“Companies have tried to make seed drills more accurate, which has worked to a point, but (they) don’t have the seed depth accuracy needed for corn.”

In spite of challenges, Stephen Denys has been using the same planter for corn and soybeans for 25 years, used it for wheat during the last five years and for sugar beets since he started growing those two years ago. He also grows edible beans.

His planter is set for 30-inch rows for corn and sugar beets and 15 inches for soybeans, edible beans and wheat, and he doubles-back on his wheat to get 7.5-inch spacing.

He also has a Precision electric drive and hydraulic down-pressure, with separate seed plates for each crop.

“The biggest challenge to me is that it’s slower to plant wheat,” says Denys, who farms outside Chatham and is director of market and product development for Maizex Seeds.

“In the spring, I need a couple of hours to switch between crops, so this does influence some decision-making on nice days when you’d like to be in two places at once. But this is manageable.”

Denys treats the one-planter option as an opportunity. There’s just one to service, one tractor to set-up (with RTK) and one planter with which he can spread his investment on things like down-pressure, Bandits for banding nitrogen, or using electric drives. And there’s less to store.

“If I had twice the acres, I would likely look at investing in a second planter, to focus on soybeans and wheat and cover more acres faster in the spring,” he says. “This is why I invested in a bigger planter a few years ago.”

He started using a Precision metering system for his wheat about five years ago when he invested in electric row unit drives. He one of the first in Canada to use wheat plates on that system.

The hydraulic down-pressure helps with uniform depth, which is critical when managing between sandy loam and clay soils. He also gets better singulation for corn and sugar beets, which is important for stand uniformity.

In soybeans, the electric drives enable Denys to variable-rate seed within the same field, with a range of 155,000 to 200,000 seeds per acre on sand knolls.

In corn, he can run with 30,000 seeds per acre on the knolls and up to 36,000 on clay or loam.

“In wheat, I believe I gain three to five bushels per acre compared to a drill and an advantage, although not as great compared to an air seeder,” he says.

“The biggest difference is I have constant depth with the hydraulic down-pressure, which is important in wheat also. The only negative is that with a 1.5- to 1.7-million population on wheat, the sensors I have can’t keep up, so I use weight to determine if I’m on track.”

The canola wild card

The entry of winter canola in southwestern Ontario created additional challenges, mainly because of seed size.

At one point, Alex Knight used three planters – a 30-inch for corn, a 15-inch for soybeans and a grain drill.

“We’ve since rid ourselves of the 15-inch soybean planter and gone with an air drill that we can block one set of rows and plant 15s with it,” says Knight, who farms with his father, Bill, northeast of Blenheim.

“We’re planting the wheat, canola and soybeans with the air drill and using the 30-inch planter for corn.”

Using only one planter isn’t impossible, he says. A lot depends on a grower’s land. Knight believes he could get by with one planter, but his wheat yields would suffer with 15-inch rows.

“We have growers down here who are planting everything with one planter, including their wheat. They’re using 15-inch rows for soybeans and wheat, with a Kinze planter, so they can split and grow 30-inch corn.

“They’re also on much lighter soil and being closer to the lake, the air tends to be a little more humid.”

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BioDrill is a mountable seeding unit that enables the application of a third product in addition to seed and fertilizer for Väderstad seed drills.

Björn Jeansson, Väderstad’s director of seed drill product management said in a release that over time, the company has seen an increased demand for applying additional products together with the seeding operation, such as using the BioDrill to establish cover crops and grass seeds, or to place a starter fertilizer together with the seeds.

To meet this demand, Jeannson said the company is increasing the hopper capacity of the BioDrill for the 3- 4 metre (9.8-13.1ft) Rapid seed drills. For model year 2024, the BioDrill for Rapid 300-400C/S has increased by over 40 per cent, he said.

For the 4 metre (13.1 ft) Rapid 400C/S, the BioDrill has increased from 280 to 400 litres (7.9-11.3 bu.), while the BioDrill on the 3-metre (9.8 ft) Rapid 300C/S has increased from 200 to 300 litres (5.7-8.5 bu.). The new BioDrill for Rapid 300-400C/S comes with two-level sensors as standard equipment. The BioDrill for the pneumatic Rapid A 400-800S, Rapid A 600-800C as well as Spirit product ranges will remain at 360 litres (10.2 bu.).

The new BioDrill for Rapid 300-400C/S is now available for the 2024 fall season.  For more information, contact your local Väderstad dealer.

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He chalked up most of that due to conditions being too dry and too wet for the planting of Brazil’s soybean crop, depending on the region.

“The situation in east-central and northeastern Brazil continues to be below-normal rainfall and its has slowed down the soybean planting,” Cordonnier said. “In southern Brazil, it’s just the opposite. They’ve had very heavy rains. It’s like unbelievable amounts of rain in September and October.”

He said there has been a few dry days so far in November, but more rain was forecast. So far, soybean planting throughout Brazil was about halfway complete, 14 points behind the year ago and 10 below the five-year average.

“Everybody says it’s going to be planted late. It’s just a matter of how late,” Cordonnier stated, pointing out that some of the soybean crop was replanted, such as in Mato Grasso where’s estimated to be 10 per cent.

Overall, corn planting in Brazil was less than one-quarter finished, the same pace as a year ago but nine points back of the five-year average, he said.

Faced with delays, Brazil farmers might not plant as much corn given prices stood at the breakeven point. Cordonnier also pointed to reduced sales of corn seed and fertilizer following last year’s below average safrinha crop. He suggested cotton or more soybeans were among farmers’ options.

He explained the safrinha corn is planted in two phases, with the first being September-October, and the rest in December. On average, 40 per cent of the corn is planted in the first phase, but he placed the current pace at 25 per cent. With that, he said farmers might try to plant more than usual in the second phase.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture attaché in Brazil chopped five million tonnes from its previous call of 130 million.

In light of Brazil’s current weather extremes, there’s some hope for a good soybean crop in central region, but Cordonnier said meteorologists stressed the erratic nature of the current El Nino will vary a great deal. He added there’s a chance for dryness during December and January, just when the pods would be filling.

“That would be very detrimental,” Cordonnier stressed.

He said projections coming out of Brazil have already trimmed initial expectations, but nothing extreme as of yet.

“If the weather doesn’t improve, it might be more than just trimming,” Cordonnier said.

Last month, USDA projected Brazil’s 2023-24 soybean production to hit a record 163 million tonnes.

— Glen Hallick reports for MarketsFarm from Winnipeg.

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While any precipitation has been beneficial to this year’s crops struggling with dry conditions, Jubinville said, it won’t help that much. 

“In terms of advancing pea and lentil yield averages, so far, I would say no. There, and all crops are quickly advancing through their reproductive phases of development, so rain going forward may act to stabilize crops and promote fill, but not likely to add yield,” he wrote in a July 25 email. 

“Also most of the rain received in the last 24 to 48 hours seemed biased up and down the Yellowhead Highway – again helped some crops there, but west-central and southwest Saskatchewan and southern Alberta are largely missed,” he added, noting that lentils are better able to handle dry conditions than most crops. 

The prices for pulses across Western Canada have been steady, according to Prairie Ag Hotwire. As of July 24, those for lentils haven’t moved with old crop Lairds ranging from 48.5 to 58 cents per pound delivered, depending on the size. New crop Lairds fetched 39.5 to 55 cents/lb. 

The Eston lentils stood at 41.5 to 53 cents/lb. delivered for old crop, while new crop number ones were 48 to 50 cents/lb.  

Old crop Richleas were 39.5 to 50 cents/lb. delivered with new crop at 38.5 to 50 cents/lb. And the Crimsons garnered 23.5 to 34 cents/lb. for old crop and 25.5 to 33 cents/lb. for new crop. 

As for the chickpeas, Prairie Ag Hotwire said the old crop Kabulis ranged from 28.5 to 44.8 cents/lb. delivered, depending on the size while nine-millimeter new crop Kabulis fetched 42.5 to 44 cents/lb. Old crop Desi and B-90’s were priced at 27.3 to 35 cents/lb. 

Meanwhile, old crop green peas were C$13 to C$14 per bushel delivered, with new crop at C$12.50 to C$14.50. Old crop yellows ranged from C$8.75 to C$12.80/bu. with new crop at C$8.75 to C$10. Old crop feed peas went for C$10.50 to C$11.80/bu. depending on the province. 

— Glen Hallick reports for MarketsFarm from Winnipeg.

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Total canola plantings were estimated at 22.1 million acres by the government agency, which compares with the 21.6 million expected in April and the 21.4 million seeded in 2022. That came in above average trade estimates which had generally called for a smaller increase on the year.

Total wheat area, including durum and winter wheat remaining after winterkill, was pegged at 26.9 million acres, which was in line with the April estimate, but well above the 25.2 million acres seeded in 2022 and the largest wheat acreage since 2001.

Of the wheat total, spring wheat area was up by eight per cent on the year, at 19.5 million acres, and winter wheat was up by 20.1 per cent at 1.4 million acres. Durum area held relatively steady, rising only 0.5 per cent from 2022 at 6.0 million acres.

“Favourable conditions across Western Canada allowed producers to complete seeding in a timely manner,” StatCan said. In the east, planting also “progressed well due to favourable field conditions.”

Barley area was up by 3.9 per cent on the year, at 7.3 million acres, while oats fell by 35.6 per cent to only 2.5 million acres. That marks the lowest oats area on record going back over 100 years.

For pulses, lentil area at 3.7 million acres was down by 15.1 per cent on the year, while pea area declined by 9.7 per cent at three million acres.

Soybean and corn plantings were both up on the year, StatCan estimated. Soybeans increased by 6.8 per cent to 5.6 million acres and corn was up by 5.5 per cent at 3.8 million acres.

— Phil Franz-Warkentin is an associate editor/analyst with MarketsFarm in Winnipeg.

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