Manitoba crops in good shape: Report

Glacier FarmMedia | MarketsFarm – Crops in Manitoba continued to come along nicely, the provincial agriculture department reported for the week ended June 24.

Some much needed rain fell over parts of the province, with amounts varying widely from about one millimetre in several locales to as much as 65 mm in the Sprague area.

Manitoba’s spring wheat was rated at 90 per cent good to excellent, with the earliest seeded fields heading. The winter wheat and fall rye were in good shape as well with some fields starting to set seed. The corn ranged from V4 to V7.

Among the oilseeds, the canola ranged from early flowering in the early planted fields to later seeded crops in two to six leaf stages. The province’s flax was said to be 10 to 15 centimeters tall, and the sunflowers were in the V4 to V10 stages. Also the most advanced soybeans were at the sixth trifoliate.

The report said Manitoba’s field peas were primarily in the seventh to 12 node stages with the earliest seeded fields starting to flower.

As for the forages, corn for silage was growing well and haying was underway. Dairy farmers have largely completed their first cut while beef producers started to hay. The province’s alfalfa and clover have started to bloom and some grasses are heading out.

Pastures are largely stable, but there are instances of overgrazing.