Rain holds up spraying as weeds thrive in Manitoba

CNS Canada –– A steady dose of rain to start the week has put a crimp on herbicide applications across Manitoba.

While weeds weren’t noticeable a few weeks ago due to the relative dryness, they’re definitely becoming more noticeable, according to crop watchers.

“We know that with the rain and warmer temperatures, both the crops and the weeds are growing rapidly,” said Pam de Rocquigny, cereal crops specialist with the Manitoba agriculture department at Carman.

Prior to the rain, most weed growth was spotty due to the dry conditions, she said.

“So producers were actually noting there was less weed pressure before the rain,” she said.

“All of a sudden you have a light shower come in and things start germinating,” noted Dan Mazier, president of farm group Keystone Agricultural Producers and a farmer at Justice, Man.

The timing of the rain had also thrown treatments slightly out of sync, he said.

“We could have done it cheaper if things were actively growing earlier on. Now, we’re getting into emergent types of herbicide; it’s a different process.”

— Dave Sims writes for Commodity News Service Canada, a Winnipeg company specializing in grain and commodity market reporting. Follow CNS Canada at @CNSCanada on Twitter.