After a 10-day stretch of nearly perfect seeding conditions from mid-May to the end of the month, spring planting is nearing completion in Manitoba.
For instance, growers in southwestern Manitoba are about 80 percent complete and a number of producers have finished seeding.
A Manitoba Agriculture rep in the region said seeding conditions in the southwest have been idyllic this year compared to the extremely wet spring of 2011 and early seeding followed by cool weather last year.
The only exception is the area close to the U.S. border, where a storm dumped 50 to 100 millimetres of rain on cropland in mid-May. As a result, growers in that area are only 50 percent complete.
Read Also
Alberta Crop Report: Rains in the south, dryness in the north
Rain fell onto the southern half of Alberta last week, while hot and dry conditions persisted in the northern half, according to the province’s crop report released on July 18.
Crop pests are not yet a concern in the southwest. Diamondback moths and aster leafhopper populations are negligible compared to last year.
Seeding conditions have also been favourable for producers near Dauphin. Seeding in the northwest region was 80 percent complete as of May 27.
The cold weather in April and early May has been hard on winter wheat. Farmers are assessing winter wheat stands and plant vigour to determine if re-seeding is necessary.
Many fields in the Red River Valley received 50 to 75 mm of rain over the May long weekend. The precipitation delayed seeding for only a couple of days, which showed that the rain was needed to boost soil moisture.
Seeding is nearing completion in the valley, but a Manitoba Agriculture rep said it’s hard to know if producers planted significantly fewer canola acres this year.
Last year, early seeded canola yielded 20 bushels per acre or less in eastern Manitoba. As a result, growers in the region may have abandoned canola in favour of soybeans.
