Spotty rainfall and humidity continued to slow fieldwork in most areas of Manitoba this past week, but producers are still managing to keep the harvest on track.
Tuesday’s weekly crop report pegged the overall harvest in the province at 64% complete, up from 51% a week earlier and 10 points ahead of the five-year average.
Producers in the Central Region are still leading the way, with 77% of the crop in the bin, followed by the Northwest at 62% done, the Southwest at 59%, the Interlake at 57%, and the Eastern at 55%.
The dry pea harvest has now wrapped up in all regions, with the provincial oat and barley harvests close behind at 95% complete. An estimated 93% of the spring wheat crop is off, along with 55% of the canola, 21% of the soybeans and 72% of the dry beans. Meanwhile, many corn fields have reached black layer and are drying down, the report said.
Spring wheat yields range from 35 to 70 bu/acre, with highs of 90 bu and a low of 16 bu/acre in the driest regions. Protein levels range from 13.5% and higher and grading #1 or #2 Canada. Oats have been yielding 90 to 130 with highs of 170 bu/acre, with some in the driest areas as low as 60 bu/acre being reported. Barley yields are between 70 and 100 bu/acre.
Soybean yields have been variable and dependent upon summer rainfall. Yield ranges from 20 to 30 on the earliest harvested fields to 30 to 40 plus bu/acre over the last week. In the Central region, where the harvest is most advanced, canola yields vary greatly, between 20 and 55 bu/acre, with averages closer to the 30 to 40 bu range.
Southwest:
Humid and wet weather early last week in the Southwest. The majority of the region received 5 to 15 mm of rain. The temperature was also starting to decrease during the day and night. There was below-zero temperatures for a few hours in some parts of the region. A slower week of harvest as some rains during the week and cloudy days reduced harvest hours for producers. The maximum daytime temperature was 27.4°C and the minimum -2.6°C recorded during last week.
Spring wheat harvesting continued this week with several producers achieving up to 80 to 85% complete. Yields look to be average to slightly above average with a good 13.5% protein. Yields range from 55 to 75 bu/acre, depending upon the moisture conditions during the growing season. Barley harvest is 90% complete. Quality and yields are average. Oat harvest is 90% complete. Producers can get at standing crops faster than swathed crops but by midweek, all fields were dry. Yields look to be average and recent rains are affecting the quality of the grains.
Canola harvest is 55% complete. The yield range is 35 to 45 bu/acre. Canola that remains to be harvested is what was seeded after the May long weekend, which is highly variable and needs time to mature.
Northwest:
Another good week of harvest progress, with a slight pause at the end of the week due to rain. Most of the region received frost early in the week, with varying temperatures. Alonsa weather station recorded the lowest overnight temperature at -2.9 °C. Some frost damage were evident in corn and soybean crops, depending on the stage of crops and degree of frost. Daytime temperatures reached mid to high 20s over the weekend and continued to contribute to good harvest conditions.
Yields continue to vary widely and depend on early season rains. Spring wheat harvest had another good week of progress, with most areas approximately 95 to 97% done. Harvest in The Pas is slightly behind that at approximately 70% complete. Yields have been ranging from 50 to 90 bu/acre, while some fields have done poorer and some better. Initial reports of quality have been good, however some reports of lower protein.
Canola harvest continued over the week and is approximately 40 to 45% complete. Desiccation and swathing continue as crops reach appropriate stages. Yield reports have averaged from 40 to 55 bu/acre, while some crops have yielded below 40 bu/acre and some above 55 bu/acre.
Central:
Central Spotty rain showers halted harvest for some, with Portage farmers receiving the most rainfall at 12mm. However, sunny weather allowed producers to quickly return to fields and farmers made decent progress with canola, flax, dry beans, soybean, and potato harvest. Localized frosts are helping to dry down leaves on some crops, with some areas receiving several hours below freezing. Baldur (-3.3°C), Gladstone (-3.3°C), and Treherne (-1.7°C) reported the coldest temperatures.
Harvest of spring cereals is mostly complete, with spring wheat, oat and barley harvest sitting at around 99%. The few remaining fields are in the northwestern reaches of the Central region. Spring wheat yields are highly variable, depending mostly on how much rainfall the crop received during the growing season. Most spring wheat yields have been in the region of 35 to 65 bu/acre, but yields have ranged from as low as 16 bu/acre in extreme cases to 95 bu/acre only a few miles away. Oats have been yielding 80 to 130 bu/acre, with some in the driest areas as low as 60 bu/acre. Barley between 70 and 100 bu/acre.
Corn continues to approach harvest, with fields maturing with the back layer visible in kernels. Most of the crop looks promising, however, fields that have received the least amount of rainfall are in the poorest condition.
Eastern:
Rainfall accumulations over the reporting period ranged from trace amounts to less than 10 mm. Most of these accumulations occurred as intermittent showers or drizzle that touched every district in the region from Thursday to Saturday of last week. This rainfall, coupled with seasonal to below seasonal temperatures slowed harvest and field work progress. Localized light frosts occurred on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings last week. No yield or quality losses were expected to result from these events given that crop were well advanced but damage to top leaves on corn and soybeans was noted in some fields. Producers look forward to making significant progress on canola and soybean harvest this week if weather allows.
Spring wheat harvest was about 95% complete. Average yield on spring wheat has been better than expected at around 70 bu/acre with 13.5% or higher protein levels and grading #1 or #2 Canada. Oat harvest was complete with yields at around 130 bu/acre on average and good bushel weights. Barley harvest was also complete with yields averaging out at around 100 bu/acre. Spring cereal harvest is expected to wrap up this week if weather allows. Many corn fields had achieved growth stage R6 (“black layer” or physiological maturity) and were drying down.
Interlake:
The South Interlake area received about 4mm of rain. Some producers in both the south and north Interlake reported frost at -2 0C occurring the middle of last week. Producers are reporting no damage by frost due to crop advancement/maturity stage. Daytime temperatures have declined to a certain extent with average daytime high temperatures falling below 20°C. Last week saw limited harvest activity, following light showers on and off midweek in the Interlake region.
In general, harvest progress varied across the region depending on moisture, variety, and seeding dates. Cereal harvest is near complete with, an increasing number of producers done, and working on canola or waiting for soybeans. Harvesting should be widespread by next week if weather conditions become favorable. Spring wheat harvesting is well underway. Spring wheat average yield between 65 to 80 bu/acre, mostly all #1 Canada. High-test weights and proteins 13.9 to 15.5% with the average being 14.5%. Estimated harvest completion at 90% and expected to wrap up by next week. Many producers are reporting dealing with tough straw, and harvesting grain that is not dry. Grain quality has been good to date, but there are concerns that grain quality may start to drop with recent wet weather.
Oats are coming off with average yields ranging from 140-170 bu/acre and estimated completion at 95%.Some oats are being reported as light, but most are adequate in weight. Barley average yields are 60-80 bu/acre, with good test weights. Harvest completion stands at 95%.
