The latest crop report from Manitoba Agriculture was released this week. For the southwest Manitoba region they say “no significant moisture and warm temperatures over the past week has seen the start of the harvest.
Several areas have crops that are ripening. Rainfall would be beneficial for later seeded crops like soybeans. Rains are needed for all pasture land and hay crops. In general, crops look average now, however without any rain, yields will be trending below average.
Fall rye and winter wheat harvest is progressing in the southern portion of the region and yields look to be average with good quality. Some reports of ergot showing up in fall rye. There are still reports of some grasshoppers damaging the crops, as they move from dried pastures and hayland into crops.
Most wheat crops are in the firm to hard dough stage and have handled the warm, dry conditions the best of all the cereal crops. Desiccation of early seeded wheat will begin later this week. Fusarium head blight is low and some reports of aphids on wheat heads.
Pea crops are being desiccated and harvest has begun in some areas. Some later seeded fields are turning and are getting closer to pre-harvest applications. Pea crops look to be an average yield around 45 and good quality with dry conditions.
Barley fields are turning fast. Some producers are swathing early fields to take advantage of weather and to start harvest. Barley fields are showing lots of effects from the dry conditions and the heat. Several fields have the barley heads stalling in the flag leaf stage.
Oat crops range from the milk stage to soft dough and are ripening fast due to the warm dry conditions. Several fields with large white areas showing up. These areas continue to get larger as the crop runs out of moisture.
Most of the canola crops are in full pod stage with the early seeded crops showing some turning. No major insect or disease issues showing up. Potential yield looks to be average to slightly below average as pod development does not look as good as other years.
