Northwest Region Crop Report Prepared by: Manitoba Agriculture
July 30, 2019 |

Northwest Region

Good growing conditions in the region this past week and the crop is progressing normally. Daytime temperatures hit highs of 30°C throughout the region. Other than Birch River, Swan River and The Pas, that received 8 to 13 mm, the rest of the region received only trace amounts of precipitation. This has exacerbated conditions in parts of the Northwest that are dry. Soil moisture conditions around Dauphin/Ste. Rose area continue to be short; soils in Swan River are 95% adequate, 5% short; soils at The Pas and Roblin are 100% adequate.

Generally, crops in the region are in average condition and have somewhat compensated for the challenging spring conditions. Crops are advancing as expected. The canola crops continues to develop with the earliest seeded fields nearing completion of flowering and podding. Later seeded or stressed canola fields are still flowering. The hot weather during flowering has resulted in some noticeable pod abortion. Spring cereals are in good condition across the region and are in the milk to soft dough stage. Recent high winds around The Pas have knocked down some of the spring cereals. Field pea staging in the region are podded and starting to ripen. Soybeans are flowering around Roblin; at Swan River they are in the R2 to R3 stage. Flax is 85% in the boll stage with some late flowering still occurring. Grain corn is V6 to V13 stage of growth.

Monitoring traps for Bertha Armyworm continued for the final week and of the almost 30 traps in the region, the highest cumulative counts were around Ste. Rose at 403, Minitonas 393 and Durban 332. These numbers are in the “uncertain risk” range (300-900) and reflect areas to prioritize when scouting for larvae. While still in the low risk category, a trap at Bowsman had a cumulative count of 290.

Forage and pastures in the region, around McCreary, Alonsa, Ste. Rose, Dauphin, Rorketon, Crane River and Ethelbert are very dry and additional moisture is needed immediately. Dugouts are low across these areas and many have dried up completely. As well, pastures are barely growing and yields will be very low for a second cut. Annual crops cut for silage are doing well and will be cut in the next couple of weeks. Hay crops are reported to have average yields around The Pas, below average in the Roblin and Swan River areas with the rest of the region reporting 33% of the average yield. Some native hay stands do not have enough growth to support any harvest.

Grasshoppers remain a very big problem in the Dauphin area and are moving into annual crops as well. Hayfield conditions are rated as good (20%) to fair (40%), the balance being poor to very poor. Pasture conditions rated as good (10%) to fair (40%), poor (20%) and very poor (30%).