Northwest Region Crop Report Prepared by: Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives GO Teams & Crops Knowledge Centre September 9, 2013 |
Northwest Region
Favorable weather conditions allowed for general harvest operations through the Northwest Region for most of the week. Some isolated light showers over Thursday night delayed harvest for a short time around Gilbert Plains and parts of the Swan Valley area.
Regionally, combining is completed on approximately 25% of total acres. Preharvest herbicide treatments are continuing. An estimated 45% of canola acres are in swath and 20% is combined. Spring wheat is 30% combined, 20% is swathed and approximately 40% is ready for straight combining. As more acres are harvested, reported yields for spring wheat range from 30 to 80 bu/acre, with quality being very good and protein content averaging 13.5%. As spring wheat harvest progresses, reported incidence of ergot is low and appears to be limited to earliest harvested samples. Oat yields range from 70 to140 bu/acre and from 15 to 60 bu/acre for canola. The lower yields are where early season excess moisture impacted the earliest seeded crops, including some fields in the Swan Valley area, Dauphin and more generally through Sifton, Winnipegosis, Ethelbert and The Pas.
Soybeans are mostly in R6 and R7 stages; crop staging and condition is better through the Dauphin and Ste Rose areas where early maturing varieties are showing color change. White mould is present in a number of soybean fields.
Some late second cut forage harvest is completed. Greenfeed harvest is reaching completion with yields above average. Favorable weather has dried more native hay lands and harvest continues. With the very good harvest conditions, straw baling, removal and field work is also being completed. Straw quality is excellent. Pastures conditions are rated 40% good, 45% fair and 15% poor. Dugout water levels are adequate in all areas.