Manitoba producers managed to make good progress between showers this past week, but the overall planting pace continues to lag.
The latest weekly crop report on Tuesday pegged overall planting across the province at 83% complete, up from 64% a week earlier but 5 points behind the five-year average and 4 points behind last year.
Precipitation was variable last week, ranging from 0.3 mm at Rorketon to 39 mm at Brunkild. Heavy rainfall occurred in several regions over the weekend, the report said.
Canola and soybean planting advanced, with canola now at 71% complete, and soybeans at 82%. Spring cereals are estimated to be 87 to 94% complete, peas are 97% complete, and grain corn is 95% complete. Flax is at 64% completion across the province, with sunflowers at 53% and dry beans at 66%.
“Planting order has been changed on some farms, and fields are getting planted as soil conditions permit,” the report said.
Fall rye and winter wheat fields range from stem elongation to booting, with the earliest fall rye heading. The most advanced spring wheat has three to four leaves and two tillers, with the earliest corn at V3 stage. Canola ranges from cotyledon to two true leaves. The earliest sunflowers are at the cotyledon to first true leaf stage.
Most cattle are on pasture, remaining animals will be moved as soon as conditions permit. In areas with heavy rainfall, pastures are saturated or have standing water, and cattle are being moved to higher ground in areas where they may cause damage on waterlogged soils.
Southwest:
Showers last week in most areas of the region affected seeding progress. Higher temperatures compared to the previous week helped fields dry down faster, and producers were able to make progress with seeding. Warm temperatures are needed to facilitate rapid growth in most crops. Seeding is 80 to 85% complete in the southwest region, with most producers working on canola, dry bean, and soybean acres.
Cereals are 90 to 95% complete, with the early seeded cereals at the three to four leaf stage and later seeded cereals emerging well. Canola is 70 to 75% complete and ranges from emerging to the cotyledon stage. Peas are 95 to 100% complete and are at the 4 to 5 node stage. Flax is 80 to 85% complete and sunflowers are 85 to 90% complete. Soybeans are 85 to 90% complete and are emerging. Grain and silage corn are 90% complete, and ranges from emerging to the V2 stage. Winter cereals are progressing well, fall rye is at the boot stage.
Northwest:
A mix of sunshine, rain and strong winds this week. Some seeding progress was made, but some areas were once again held up by rain. Full activity resumed midweek only to be interrupted by rain again across the region on Thursday. Warmer temperatures and very strong winds allowed progress to resume on the weekend. The entire Northwest region has received over 100% of normal rainfall to date, with some areas receiving over 200% of normal rainfall. Crops are still requiring heat to get a jump on growth. Some standing water in low areas of fields, with some fields being slow to germinate with the cool, wet conditions. Soil crusting has also been noted as an issue in some fields.
Field pea seeding is complete. Most fields have emerged, and earliest seeded fields are V2-V3 stage. Spring wheat seeding is 90% complete. Earliest seeded wheat is approaching tillering stage and looks good. Canola seeding was able to progress across some of the region in between rains. Progress is approximately 75% complete, with further progress in Roblin and Swan River areas.
Central:
Most of the rain last week fell in the center part of the region, with the northwest part of the region receiving the least precipitation. Entering last week, some fields still had patches of standing water from the precipitation on May 24 and 25. The degree to which fields were affected varied greatly due to topography, soil type, the volume of rainfall received, and if producers were able to successfully drain water off. In areas where moisture infiltrated quickly crop damage was minimal, however where waterlogged conditions persisted for multiple days producers may see a reduction in yield, and in extreme cases dead patches within the field. It is likely that some fields will be reseeded as necessary.
Despite the rainfall events, planting and other field operations have taken place. Seeding has progressed with almost all spring wheat, barley and oats seeded, with the earliest tillering. Fall rye and winter wheat are between stem elongation and booting. Field peas are emerging, with the earliest at the three to five node stage. Soybeans are at 80%, with many emerging, but the most advanced at the unifoliate stage. Much progress with edible beans, with approximately 65% planted. Canola is at 80% complete, with much of the earlier planted canola at the cotyledon to first true leaf stage. Flax is 95% planted, with most of the crop emerging. Sunflower seeding progress is at 90%, with the earliest now at the cotyledon to first true leave stage. Silage and grain corn are at 95% complete, with most of the early planted corn at the V2 to V4 stage.
Eastern:
Rainfall accumulations across the Eastern Region last week ranged from 10 to over 40 mm with most areas getting 20 mm plus. Standing water remains evident in some fields across the region, particularly in northern and some central districts. Some emerged cereal fields are yellowing in low areas. Across the region, most fields are currently saturated and inaccessible. Windy conditions persisted on most days of the reporting period. Given the weather conditions, producers struggled to make progress on seeding, spraying and field work activities.
Fields were inaccessible for most of last week with producers starting to make progress at the end of the week and over the weekend before rainfall events on Sunday and early Monday morning. Seeding conditions were not ideal with producers working around wet areas of fields and monitoring their land carefully to not miss any opportunities. Most producers will have to remain off fields for anywhere from a couple of days to a full week although some who experienced lower amounts of rainfall on better drained soil textures will be attempting to get crops like soybeans in the ground before AgriInsurance deadlines.
Overall, spring seeding was around 75% complete across the region although individual producer progress varied from some not started to others finished and moving on to herbicide application.
Interlake:
Warm and sunny conditions over the past week allowed for continued seeding progress, although rainfall over the weekend halted field activities. Soil moisture varies from adequate to very wet depending on the area and several drying days will be required before seeding resumes. Field conditions continue to be variable with standing water in low areas of fields. Some harrowing was done to dry out fields for planting. Soil temperatures at seeding depth averaged 15°C. Overall seeding progress is estimated to be 60% complete, with Southern Interlake 60-75% complete, and North Interlake 20-30% complete.
Spring wheat, oats and barley are about 80% seeded across the region. Spring wheat is generally in the three-leaf stage, with barley and oats emerging to two leaf stage. Some of the earliest seeded fields have uneven emergence, but in general emergence is good. Some cereal crops are exhibiting minor symptoms of excess moisture stress.
