Rain and cooler temperatures continued to hamper Manitoba crop development this past week, according to the latest weekly crop report on Tuesday.
Once again, isolated heavy rains, and severe storms occurred in several regions, the report said, adding that precipitation over the past seven days ranged from 0 mm to nearly 80 mm.
Standing water is reported in many areas, along with yellowing crops. Hail ranging from nickel to golf ball size was reported at Pierson, causing some crop and vehicle damage in those areas.
With the passing of crop insurance deadlines, seeding ended with about 10% of acres in the Eastern Region remaining unseeded, the report said.
Spring cereals continue to advance with earliest planted fields at flag leaf stage, with some barley and spring wheat heading out. Soybean and dry bean crops are progressing at a slower pace given the cooler conditions. Growth staging for both crops reported at cotyledon to second trifoliate stage.
Field peas are at the 8 to 10 node stage, with some flowering in the Central region.
Canola growth stage ranges from the rosette stage to bolting stages, but the earliest fields began flowering early last week in the Central region. Growth stages ranging from cotyledon to rosette/cabbaging have been reported in the Interlake and Eastern regions.
Southwest:
Rains accompanied by heavy winds and hailstorms occurred in various areas of the region. The Carberry and Minto areas received the most precipitation, totaling 60-65mm, with significant moisture reported in all other areas. Hail ranging from nickel to golf ball size was reported at Pierson, causing some crop and vehicle damage in those areas. Other instances of hail were observed in and around Brandon.
Unseasonably cool temperatures persist due to stormy weather, which could affect crop growth. No reports of any major unseeded acres. Cool-season crops, including winter cereals and canola, appear to be performing well. Sunflowers are also looking decent. Early spring cereals are thriving, but later crops are lagging and require warmer weather to catch up. Warm season crops such as soybeans, dry beans, and corn, are experiencing slower growth this year.
Northwest:
Generally a better week of weather conditions. With the seeding deadline for coverage approaching, most seeding that can be completed were finalize. There are areas that remain unseeded due to excess moisture. The weekend brought precipitation to most of the region, with some localized amounts being quite heavy. Areas receiving the most precipitation were already saturated. Highest precipitation was at the Ashville and Keld stations at 45mm. No precipitation was reported at The Pas station. Overnight temperatures remained cool for most of the week.
Recent precipitation has added to existing moisture stress in some areas. The challenges include unseeded acres, standing water in crops, and inability to apply pesticides. Frequent high winds have also hampered pesticide applications.
Central:
The week was windy with scattered thunderstorms, bringing localized hail and lodging damage, particularly on hill tops and light land. The northwest of the region received the most rainfall around Austin, Cypress River, and Holland. The southeast of the region received the least.
Planting has wrapped up, with herbicide and fungicide applications being the focus. There is water in low spots, with crops undergoing visible water stress. The cooler temperatures are slowing crop growth, and many crops are more advanced developmentally than they may at first appear given their height.
Eastern:
Rainfall accumulations were highly variable and ranged from about 18 mm to over 40 mm with the bulk of the rain falling last Tuesday as severe thunderstorms. Daytime and nighttime temperatures started the week in the normal range and dropped to below normal just before the rainfall on Tuesday. The rest of the week saw temperatures gradually climb to above normal levels with humidity levels increasing in step. Winds were strong throughout the week but producers made rapid progress on spraying when winds were reduced. Regardless, field access issues and generally windy conditions challenged spraying efforts and attempts at any final seeding. While standing water in fields gradually decreased in most areas over the reporting period, areas of standing water were still easily found at the end of the week.
Spring cereals along with field peas, flax, soybeans, and corn continued to display yellowing and plant mortality in low field areas. With the passing of MASC deadlines, seeding ended with about 10% of acres in the region remaining unseeded. Unseeded acres varied greatly across farm operations and geography with some areas of the Eastern Region particularly hard hit and others better off.
Interlake:
There was a mix of weather conditions this past week across the Interlake region. Rainfall across the region varied from heavy downpours, to localized drizzles. Amounts were variable and most areas received about 18-37 mm. Lake Francis, Poplarfield, Inwood, Arborg and Woodlands received higher amounts between 42-67 mm. There are some fields with standing water in low areas. Much of the region has good to adequate moisture levels, although the southwest part of the region is wet. The area around Moosehorn continues to be dry, receiving less than 5mm of rain. Surface moisture is currently sufficient for most of the region, with isolated areas having excess moisture in the South and North.
At this point in time, seeding in the region is 90% complete. Seeding progress is more advanced in the South Interlake area and is estimated at 95% done, while the North Interlake parts of the region are approximately 65% complete. Conditions for germination and emergence has been good for crops, excluding canola and soybean fields. Some fields are showing signs of excess moisture stress and may experience rot as a result. Reseeding has started due to excessive water and cutworm and flea beetle damage. There are more unseeded fields towards Woodlands in the South Interlake.
