Northwest Region Crop Report Prepared by: Manitoba Agriculture
August 13, 2018 |
Northwest Region
A mix of weather this past week. Temperatures were very hot reaching the mid to high thirties through the week with overnight temperatures cooling to single digits. Rainfall was limited to 13 mm at The Pas although there was heavy dew overnight in many areas. Soil moisture conditions are adequate in all areas of the region with the exception of The Pas where fields are saturated. Hail and wind damage from last week’s storm is still being assessed. In the Swan River area some areas had a small amount of damage while other fields were completely wiped out. Another storm rolled through Birch River area late Sunday night bringing more hail, the extent of the damage from this latest storm event is unknown at this time.
High temperatures advanced crops quickly. Harvest of fall rye and winter wheat is underway in the Dauphin area. Spring cereals, including wheat, barley and oats are in the dough stage and ripening. Some fields of wheat are being desiccated in the Swan River area. The pea harvest is ongoing and lentils have been combined; no reports on yield have been received.
Canola is in the pod-filling stage with some fields starting to ripen. The odd field of canola has been swathed although this is not general throughout the region. Soybeans are in the R3 to R4 stage.
Some spraying for bertha armyworm is taking place in canola in the Durban/Benito area. Fusarium head blight is present in many wheat and barley fields.
With the exception of The Pas, forages across the region would benefit from a good rain. First cut tame hay and most of the native hay harvest has been completed. Second cut hay harvest in areas with sufficient moisture continues. Producers affected by the dry conditions have begun sourcing alternative feeds. Cereal silage yields where adequate moisture has fallen have been yielding average to above average. Pastures north of Ste. Rose and around Eddystone are deteriorating quickly with dugouts drying up.