The Manitoba harvest basically stalled out this past week as parts of the province were pummeled by heavy rain.
Tuesday’s weekly crop report pegged the overall harvest at 58% complete, up just 3 points from the previous week.
Most of what little provincewide progress was made occurred in the Northwest, where the harvest advanced 8 points on the week to 47% complete. Some gains were also made in the Interlake, where 54% of the crop is now off, up 3 points from the previous week. On the other hand, farmers were completely stymied in the Central and Eastern regions, where harvest completion remained at 68% and 54%, respectively.
Precipitation for the past week ranged from almost 5 mm to more than 212 mm, with the South Central and Eastern regions accumulating the largest amounts. Heavy precipitation events occurred in the Eastern region causing localized flooding. Intense rains were seen in communities including Elma, which received 105.5 mm over a three-hour period on Sept. 17, the report said.
An estimated 90% of the barley crop is now off, up 2 points from a week earlier, while the spring wheat harvest advanced 3 points to 90% done. The oat harvest gained 2 points to 88% complete, and canola was 55% done, up from 49%.
Dry bean harvest has started with approximately 25% of the crop being harvested. There is a wide range of yields, from 500 to 3,500 lbs/acre. Quality to date is reported as good. Soybeans in all regions are at the R7 (beginning maturity)-R8 (full maturity) growth stage. Harvest has begun in pockets around the province.
Corn crops continued to develop rapidly with cobs in the dent growth stage and milk lines moving down kernels as they approach physiological maturity.
Southwest:
There was significant rainfall in the southwest this week but some harvesting was still possible. Temperatures ranged from 24.1°C to 28.2°C, with overnight lows between -1.3°C and 6.3°C, resulting in daily averages around 14.5°C. The harvest is estimated to be 50% to 55% complete. The quality of cereal crops is good, with yields reported as average to above average. Seeding for winter cereals has made limited progress this year, but conditions are favorable due to soil moisture and warmer temperatures forecasted.
Northwest:
A slower week of harvest progress. The entire region received precipitation this week with Keld station receiving the highest at 30 mm and Birch River receiving the least at 8 mm. A couple of warm days saw daytime temperatures reaching high 20’s while overnight temperatures hovered around 0 degrees at Drifting River, Ruthenia, Pipe Lake, San Clara and The Pas stations. Heavy dews in the morning have also narrowed the harvest window at this time of year. Harvest continues to be a challenge and slow at times where crops had been lodged this season. Post harvest operations are occurring on some fields as time allows.
Central:
Significant rainfall occurred this week with the most rainfall in Winkler (162 mm), Windygates (124.5 mm), and Morris (114.2 mm). The least was received in Somerset (13.9 mm), Pilot Mound (18.1 mm), and Plumas (19.6 mm). Regional highs were between 24-27 ºC, with nighttime lows between 3 - 5 ºC. Cover crop seeding is complete. Mid-September is typically considered the last opportunity for establishment; however, the rainfall will be appreciated for growth. Seeding for winter cereals continues as conditions allow, but establishment will likely be good due to available soil moisture and warm temperatures.
Eastern:
There were very large rainfall accumulations that occurred in many central and southern districts of the Eastern Region. Standing water is still evident on some fields and growers are doing what they can to speed up the process of drainage and drying. While no frost was reported, nighttime temperatures below 5 °C did occur in some areas.
Interlake:
Harvest continues, with significant delays following recent rains across the Interlake region. The South Interlake region including Stonewall, Petersfield, Selkirk and Woodlands received rainfall amounts ranging from 28 mm to 46.7 mm. In the northern part of the region, Teulon received 29.2 mm; all other areas received less than 20 mm. Temperatures reached up to 27.4°C last week, with average temperatures of 15.4°C to 16.8°C.
