Manitoba Agriculture
Crop Report
June 14, 2022
Northwest Region
Good weather continued to see substantial seeding progress across the region, while rain slowed planting on the eastern side of the region again. Seeding progress across the region sits at 85% complete, with the Swan Valley, Roblin, and The Pas districts nearly done, while Ste. Rose area is about 60% complete, followed by Dauphin at 75% complete.
Excessive moisture is hampering field planting and crop growth in the eastern side of the region, while herbicide and insecticide application continues as-needed and as conditions permit on emerged cereal and canola crops.
Provincial Overview
A concentrated push to finish seeding this past week led to a sharp increase in planted acres, with many farms in the Eastern, Central, and Southwest regions finished seeding, while parts of the Interlake and eastern side of the Northwest region remain unplanted. Some reseeding of canola has occurred after crusting events and severe flea beetle damage.
Recent rains have stopped seeding progress once again, and those farmers yet to finish planting are coming to the realization that there will be unseeded acres on their farms this year. Estimates are that over 250,000 acres will be unplanted by the June 20 seeding deadline, concentrated south near Lake Dauphin, the northern Interlake, and adjacent to the Red River, where fields have only recently seen standing water drain away.
As farmers shift mentality to in-crop management, herbicide application is becoming widespread, and calm conditions last week saw many spring cereal and corn fields see their first herbicide application, together with numerous applications of insecticide for flea beetles and cutworms and young grasshoppers in localized areas.
Repeated rains and warm soils have led to widespread nitrogen fertilizer losses, either via leaching or denitrification. In-crop nitrogen-deficiency symptoms are showing up as chlorotic (yellowed) leaf margins, in combination with other symptoms of crop stress due to saturated soils. A drop in nitrogen prices (down approx. 30% from spring highs) may encourage in-crop top-dressing. The rush to seed crops wherever possible led to poorer seedbeds in some cases, which will impact in-season management and harvested yields.
Ag retailers are dealing with inventories of returned corn seed, cancelled soybean orders, and either a tight supply or surplus of canola seed, depending on location. There are a few crops where seeding deadlines can still be met and farmers will attempt to plant as soon as fields dry out after the most recent rains.
Livestock have been turned out to pasture, and forage growth is generally sufficient. Biting insects and mosquitoes are becoming a nuisance for cattle.