Wet conditions are holding back planting in Manitoba relative to normal.
The weekly crop report on Tuesday pegged seeding across the province at 4% complete, up just 2 points from a week earlier and 5 points behind the five-year average. However, planting is still ahead of last year, when 0% of the crop was in the ground.
Spring wheat and barley are sitting at 9% complete across the province with the Central region being the most advanced at 12% complete. Earliest planted fields have started to emerge. Field pea planting is at 11% complete across the province. The Northwest region is the most advanced at 25% complete and the Southwest region is at 7% complete.
There have been a few reports of soybeans being planted where soil conditions have been suitable, the report added.
Winter wheat and fall rye survival is decent, with most producers observing winter cereal survival to be 80 - 90%. Most producers have completed fertilizer applications in their winter cereals.
Recent rains have helped stimulate pasture growth and the landscape is beginning to green-up. Hay fields are in good shape, although icy conditions experienced this winter may have taken their toll on alfalfa plants in some locations..
Southwest:
The southwest region had rainy weather conditions during the week. Most areas received 20-30 mm of rain. Killarney and Wawanesa areas received 30-35 mm of rain. This past week saw daytime air temperature up to 20.5°C with overnight temperature down to -2.8°C. Producers have started seeding in selected fields according to the seedbed conditions. Soil moisture is at optimum levels in most of the region.
8% of spring wheat, 10% of barley, and 7% of peas are planted. Some early-seeded crops have germinated but no emergence being reported yet.
Winter wheat and fall rye crops responded to the recent rains well and growth is looking promising. Fertilizer applications are still ongoing.
Northwest:
A good start to the week, with field operations beginning across most of the region. Cool, wet weather set in midweek bringing precipitation to most of the region. Soil moisture is considered adequate. Most field operations were paused during the rain, although a few were able to resume shortly after. The weekend brought good drying weather as well as good progress to either start or resume operations.
Field pea seeding is making good progress across most of the region at approximately 25% complete, being more advanced towards Roblin area. Spring wheat seeding is also nicely getting started and is approximately 10% complete across the region. Winter wheat and fall rye conditions vary across the region. There have been very few claims for winterkill damage.
Central:
The past week was marked by prolonged periods of light rainfall across the Central region. All locations reported at least 14 mm. The extreme southeast of the region received the most rainfall with Windygates, Emerson, Gretna, and Altona all receiving more than 30 mm. These recent rainfalls and cooler temperatures have halted field operations for the time being, with some fields having standing water in low lying areas.
Although very little seeding progress was made over the past week due to the wet conditions, progress sits at approximately 12% for oats, spring wheat, barley, and peas. A small number of producers have begun to seed canola, corn, and potatoes. The proportion of each crop seeded varies greatly at the local level across the region, with percentage of crops in the ground lower in the northwest and higher in the southeast.
Winter wheat and fall rye is growing quickly. Most producers have completed fertilizer applications in their winter cereals before the recent rainfall and are observing winter cereal survival to be 80 - 90%.
Eastern:
Rainfall accumulations across the Eastern region last week ranged from 5 to 35 mm with the greatest amounts in the central and southern parts of the region. Daytime temperatures cycled between below normal and normal ranges for this time of year. Nighttime lows started at or near freezing and then rose a few degrees for the remainder of the week.
Grain producers made limited progress on seeding and other field operations before rainfall shut things down completely. Activity resumed on Sunday and Monday in some northern districts which had the least amount of rainfall. There have been instances of equipment getting stuck in fields as growers push the limit of what is possible. Some low areas in fields, particularly in central and southern districts have standing water.
Winter cereal fertilizer applications are almost complete except for a few wet fields. Winter cereal survival is around 95% with only a few fields being terminated. Winter cereal field conditions range from fair to good. No more than 5% of spring wheat acres have been planted across the region along with about 2% of corn acres. A few fields of canola and soybeans have also been seeded.
Interlake:
There were scattered showers this past week across the Interlake region. Rainfall accumulation ranged from 20 mm to 25 mm. The southern part of the Interlake region received the most amount of rainfall. Very little field work has been done due to the wet soil conditions. Fields are drying up from last week's showers.
Seeding progress across the south Interlake region is about 2% complete with little to no seeding in the central to northern part of the Interlake. Producers are hoping to get started with seeding this week as weather allows. However, most fields need more drying time before seeding will get going.
