The Manitoba harvest pushed closer to completion this past week, even as parts of the province were hit by heavy rain and high winds on the weekend.
Tuesday’s crop report pegged the overall harvest in the province at 86% complete as of Monday, up from 72% the previous week. The harvest in the Central Region was reported at 94% done as of Monday, followed closely by the Interlake at 89% and the Eastern and Southwest at 85% each. The Northwest trails at 82% complete.
The spring wheat, barley, and oat harvests have largely now wrapped up, with canola not far behind at 92% complete. The soybean harvest was estimated at 69% done, with grain corn just underway at 8% complete. The dry bean crop was 90% in the bin.
Rainfall warnings were issued from Oct. 3 -5 for several regions, with heavy precipitation and strong winds exceeding 80 km/hr in the Central, Eastern, and Interlake areas on Oct. 5. Accumulations ranged from 0 mm to 70.7 mm, with Sprague Lake in the Eastern region recording the highest total. While the Northwest largely avoided heavy rain, wet conditions were widespread elsewhere, particularly in the Southwest, Central, and Eastern regions.
Cumulative precipitation has varied sharply across Manitoba this season. The Central and Eastern regions have each received over 220 mm of rain, while the Interlake and parts of the Northwest remain well below average, at less than 60% of the 30-year norm. In contrast, some parts of the Southwest and Central regions have exceeded 100% of typical seasonal rainfall since May 1.
Canola yields range from 30 to 70 bu/acre, averaging 45. Flax and sunflowers have been desiccated, and most grain corn has reached physiological maturity, with harvest beginning in some areas. Soybean yields range from 30 to 55 bu/acre.
Livestock producers in most regions have secured adequate winter feed supplies, though some areas hit by summer dryness continue to source feed from wetter regions.
