Manitoba producers managed just modest harvest progress this past week amid variable rainfall.
Tuesday’s crop report put the overall provincewide harvest at 8% complete, up just 5 points on the week. Harvest is the most advanced in the Central region at 16% done, followed by the Southwest at 6%, and the Interlake at 4%. The Northwest and Eastern regions are both estimated at 3% complete.
The winter wheat and fall rye harvests are pegged at 87% complete each. Peas are estimated at 59% done, barley at 22%, and spring wheat at 13%. The oat and canola crops were 6% and 3% harvested, respectively.
Precipitation for the past week ranged from 0.6 mm to just under 78 mm, with areas of the Northwest and Southwest regions accumulating the largest amounts of precipitation, the report said.
Reported yields range from 40 to 90 bu/acre for winter wheat and fall rye in the north Interlake and Eastern regions, and 80 to 110 bu/acre for fall rye in the south Interlake and Central regions.
Spring wheat yield estimates range from 60 to 90 bu/acre, with an average of 70 bu/acre in the Central and Eastern regions. In the north Interlake, yields range from 25 to 55 bu/acre, and up to 70 bu/acre in the south Interlake. Some downgrading of wheat is reported due to FHB and bleaching. Oat yield estimates range from 80-180 bu/acre, with generally good bushel weights. Barley yields range from 90 to 115 bu/acre.
Field pea harvest is ongoing, with yields ranging from 30 to 65 bu/acre.
No canola yields are yet reported. Swathing and pre-harvest applications are ongoing throughout the province. The latest seeded canola fields range from flowering to pod-fill.
Corn ranges from the R1 (silking) to R3 (milk) stage, with some advanced fields at R4 (dough).
The earliest seeded sunflowers are at R7, with later seeded fields in the late R5 stage (flowering). Most flax fields are in growth stage 11 (brown capsule), with the most advanced flax as stage 12 (seed ripe).
Soybeans in the Southwest, Northwest, Central and Eastern regions are at the R5 to R6 stage. In the Interlake most soybeans are at the R4 stage.
Southwest:
The southwest region had hot and humid weather with thunderstorms throughout the week. A major system went through the Foxwarren area early Saturday morning. The rain is delaying harvest, and high winds caused crops to lodge making harvest and dry down difficult.
Northwest:
High temperatures for the week, with unsettled weather over the weekend. Intense thunderstorms on Saturday brought heavy rains and strong winds to most of the region. There are reports of crop lodging and localized hail, with damage unknown at this time. Highest accumulated precipitation for the week was at Minitonas station with 77.8 mm and lowest precipitation was at Birch River station with 1.6 mm. Highest temperature was at Ashville station at 31.7°C and lowest recorded overnight temperature was at Birch River station at 9.7°C.
Central:
The week was warm and dry. Highs were above 30ºC, and most locations received below 10 mm of rain. These conditions allowed for rapid advancement of field activities, including preharvest herbicide application, swathing and harvest of cereals and canola, baling, residue and field management operations, and the planting of cover crops.
Eastern:
Districts across the Eastern region received trace amounts to less than 5 mm of rainfall with many areas receiving no rain over the reporting period. There were a few cases of isolated storms producing accumulations greater than 20 mm but these were rare. Overall, last week was warm and humid with the weekend being particularly hot and very humid. Although there were a few rainfall interruptions, producers made good progress on harvesting and field work over the reporting period, if they had fields that were ready.
Interlake:
Rainfall was variable, with amounts ranging from less than 5 mm in parts of the south Interlake to 49 mm in Fisherton. High temperatures continued for most of the week, with highs above 28°C in all areas. Harvest continues but with minimal delays following recent showers in the Interlake region on Thursday. Harvest is well advanced in parts of the south Interlake region, and less advanced in the North Interlake. In general, harvest progress varies across the region depending on moisture and seeding dates. Swathing and desiccation of crops continues
