Manitoba crop numbers exceed multi-year average, expert says – Winnipeg
For Manitoba farmers, this year’s harvest is good and many are already fully harvested.
The figures, according to the most recent provincial harvest report on September 19, are 64 percent. By comparison, the five-year average for this time of year is ten percent lower, at 54.
So far, winter wheat, fall rye and field peas are the completed crops. Spring wheat, barley, oats and dry beans are the crops that are almost 100 percent complete. The canola and soybean harvest continues at 55 and 21 percent respectively.
Jill Verway, president of Keystone Agriculture Producers, says the province is in a good position. But things could get better if the weather permits, with rainy conditions having been a recurring phenomenon last week.
“You know, looking at the forecast, if we can keep the rain out here in the next little while, we’ll have a good chance of getting everything in good shape,” Verway said. “We are a little ahead of the five-year average…”
Dennis Lange, editor of the provincial report, agrees the province is on the right track. And even if the rainy conditions slowed down harvests somewhat, the consequences were beneficial for certain crops, notably soybeans. One reason, he says, is that it hydrates the seeds.
He said the level at which soybeans are considered very dry is 12 percent moisture.
“What usually happens when it rains … the seeds rehydrate,” Lange said. “The moisture level becomes more uniform across the entire sample. The next time growers take that crop or soybean sample, the field will be more uniformly mature.
Lange, who is also the provincial pulse and soybean specialist, said the province’s three main crops are spring wheat, canola and soybeans. The canola yield spans 3.2 million acres; for spring wheat, it’s about 3 million acres, and for soybeans, it’s about 1.5 million.
In a previous interview with PKBNEWS, Lange noted that the lower numbers for late-season crops – like canola and soybeans – are not a concern.
“Overall it was a very interesting season. It was a dry summer, but we had enough showers to support that. There were a lot of surprises,” Lange said.
“For farmers who were expecting perhaps lower yields in some areas, yields have been better than expected. »
The crop report also advises crop growers to look for uncontrolled weeds. One type of weed noted is waterhemp.
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