Temperatures dropped to – 2 to – 3.5 C in parts of southern Manitoba this morning, but excess moisture likely protected crops from severe frost damage, say farmers and Manitoba Agriculture staff.
Forecasters expected temperatures to hit – 5 C in many parts of the province overnight. Data from Manitoba Agriculture weather stations indicate it didn’t get quite that cold in most areas. For example:
• Deloraine hit -1 C, and temperatures stayed just below zero for a couple of hours.
• Temperatures in Elm Creek sank to -.9 between 5 and 6 a.m.
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• Minnedosa recorded a temperature of – 3 at 4 a.m. and it was around – 2 between 5 and 6 a.m.
• Selkirk registered a low of – 1.6 C.
• Russell dropped to – 2.5 C.
The unusually low temperatures for the middle of May arrived following a weekend storm that dumped 25 to 75 millimetres of rain and snow on most of Manitoba.
Elmer Kaskiw, Manitoba Agriculture crop production adviser in Minnedosa, said frost damage is less likely when plants are wet, so the precipitation protected crops from the cold.
“Because we had that rainfall prior to these temperatures, the majority of crops really didn’t suffer any significant damage, especially in regards to the cereal crops,” he said.
“In regards to canola and flax, most of those (in the area around Minnedosa) had just been seeded … and the majority weren’t out of the ground yet.”
Chuck Fossay, who farms near Starbuck, Man., said his canola had emerged, but he isn’t particularly worried about frost damage.
“We had frost on the ground here and the windshield of the truck was pretty frosty,” he said.
“All that moisture might have protected the crop a little bit…. When everything is really wet, it takes more frost to damage the crop.”
Kaskiw said the snowstorm, which featured high winds and periods of freezing rain or ice pellets, may have done more damage to early-seeded canola than the frost.
“There is concern that some of those canola plants got sheared off,” he said. “We have had some reports of that happening.”
Rob Brunel, who farms near Ste. Rose du Lac, said the storm probably won’t cause a significant seeding delay on his farm. If the weather stays sunny and dry, he hopes to be back in the field later this week.
The story isn’t as positive in southwestern Manitoba, where snow and rain soaked many fields.
Scott Chalmers, Manitoba Agriculture diversification specialist in Melita, said the southwestern corner received 50 to 90 mm of precipitation.
The wet conditions may halt seeding until next week.
“Before, the storm conditions looked pretty good for seeding…. Now it’s going to be at least a week for even the light soils,” Chalmers said. “Some of the heavy soils around Pierson … it might be a week and a half, or more.”
Contact robert.arnason@producer.com
