The Manitoba harvest made good progress over the past week and is now about one-quarter complete.
Delayed from its usual Tuesday release, the weekly crop report on Wednesday put the overall provincewide harvest at 26% done, up from just 8% a week earlier. The Central region is the most advanced at 41% complete, followed distantly by the Southwest at 19%, the Eastern Region at 18%, and the Interlake at 14%. The Northwest Region brings up the rear at 8% complete.
The provincial winter wheat and fall rye harvests are now almost complete at 97% done, with dry peas at 81% complete. Barley and oats are 49% and 47% harvested, respectively, with canola at 13%.
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, spring wheat yields range from 25 to 55 bu/acre, and up to 70 bu/acre in the south Interlake.
Oat yield estimates range from 80-180 bu/acre, with generally good bushel weights. Barley yields range from 90 to 115 bu/acre
Canola yields in the Central Region, where about 35% of the crop is off, vary greatly from 25 to 55 bu/acre, most in the range of 40 to 45 bu/acre.
Corn ranges from the R3 (milk) stage to most advanced at R5 stage (dent), while soybeans in all regions are at the R5 to R6 stage. 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).
Precipitation for the past eight days across the province ranged from 0 mm to 24.6 mm, with areas of the East and south-Central regions accumulating the highest amounts.
Southwest:
The Southwest region had good harvest weather over the past week. Most producers are harvesting cereal crops. Producers have made good progress with the pea harvest this past week with yields reported to be average to below average. Reports of smaller seed and yield losses due to poor harvest conditions. Producers had a good week harvesting spring cereals, including wheat, barley, and oats. However wet conditions in the morning have caused slow starts to the day and early evenings. Yields look to be average with good quality. Recent weather events have caused some barley fields to start breaking down and some producers have started swathing to limit losses.
Northwest:
A week of mixed weather brought several thunderstorms to the region. Warm temperatures during the day, however nights cooled down along with heavy dews in the mornings. Reports of hail causing damage in some localized areas. The Amaranth station received the most accumulated precipitation at 17.9 mm. Some crops remain lodged from previous high winds and will be a challenge for harvest and possibly affect quality with recent rains and heavy dew. Some post harvest field operations are being done as time allows.
Central:
Conditions allowed for rapid advancement of field activities, including pre-harvest herbicide application, swathing and harvest of cereals and canola, bailing, residue and field management operations, and the planting of cover crops. Highs were between 25ºC - 29 ºC, and most locations received below 15 mm of rain. Winkler and Jordan received the most rainfall (24.6 mm). Cereal harvest is well underway. Harvest progress varies greatly with some producers completely finished while others are in the very early stages of harvest. Spring wheat yields range from 60 to 90 bu/acre, with an average of around 70 to 80 bu/acre. Some fields have yielded as high as 105 bu/acre.
Eastern:
Rainfall in the Eastern region ranged from about 5 mm to almost 25 mm. Producers were making steady progress on harvesting and field work which came to a halt with Thursday’s rain. In most areas, progress resumed over the weekend. Harvest of fall rye and winter wheat has been completed. Yield estimates range from 40 to 90 bu/ac with an average of 75 bu/acre with good quality. Pre-harvest herbicide applications and/or swathing continue with spring cereals as they became ready. About 40% of spring wheat and oat acres were harvested in the Eastern Region. Average spring wheat yield is 70 bu/acre with protein levels from below 13.5% to 15%. Yield and quality reports on oats suggest an average yield of 140 to 145 bu/ac with generally good bushel weight. The latest fields of spring cereals are mostly at the hard dough stage. Barley harvest has started on the limited acres in the Eastern region, with initial yield reports of 110 bu/acre.
Interlake:
Precipitation continues to be variable ranging from 8.0 to 14.5mm, with higher amounts falling in the northern part of the region. Fisherton had the highest at 21.9 mm. High temperatures continued for most of the week, with highs above 24.5°C in all areas. Harvest continues but with minimal delays following recent showers. 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.
