Planting of the 2020 crop is now about two-thirds complete in Manitoba, although farmers are continuing to deal with excessive moisture in many regions.
According to the latest weekly crop report on Tuesday, planting was 65% complete across the province as of the third week of May, up from 42% a week earlier and behind both last year and the three-year average at 84% and 81%, respectively.
Producers in many parts of the Interlake, Central and Southwest regions are unable to seed corner-corner, as frequent wet spots prevent machinery access, the report said, adding delays and stuck equipment are common. Large amounts of rainfall in some areas last week, including the Central region, left pooled water in field drains and low spots. On the other hand, some producers benefitted from the rain where active ground preparation had dried out the seedbed, the report said.
Southwest:
Most of the southwest region received rainfall during past week and on the weekend. Thundershowers in some areas brought a significant rainfall in short period of time. Some areas close to Boissevain and southeast parts of the region toward Killarney, already dealing with surplus moisture, will see seeding issues and field access persist. Windy conditions are helping to dry out those areas but some continuous heat and dry days needed to finish. Overall, 80% of the region has adequate moisture, while 20% has surplus levels of soil moisture.
Overall seeding is 40 to 45% done in the southwest region. Rapid seeding progress was made in most of the region except some high rainfall areas. Many growers have finished cereals, now sowing oilseeds and other crops. Germination and emergence also picked up last week as temperatures were favourable. Weed growth is advancing quickly and farmers want to spray as soon as wind conditions allow.
Spring wheat and cereal crops are 90% complete in northern parts of the region and 60% complete in southern areas due to wet conditions. Overall, 70% complete. Germination is good, and early seeded fields are at one to two leaf stage. Winter wheat and fall rye continue to advance and getting benefit from these moisture events. Field pea seeding is 90% done. Emergence is also excellent and in some early fields, peas are at 1- to 2-node stage. Canola is about 25 to 30% done. Very few fields emerged at this point, and no insect problems reported at this time.
Northwest:
The Northwest region received a mix of temperatures throughout the week reaching the upper twenties. Some areas in the region received rain over the weekend, while others near Swan Valley and Roblin would benefit from a good rain. Ste. Rose area and south received 21 to 32 mm, Keld and Dauphin had 22 mm, while Fork River and The Pas had 10 to 13mm. The rest of the region received less.
Seeding was able to progress throughout the week in most areas, except for those areas that received precipitation and operations were halted for a day or two while fields dried. Spring Wheat seeding is 95 to 100% complete, with the exception of The Pas where seeding operations continue. All spring wheat is emerged in Roblin; 70 to 80% emerged in Swan Valley and Dauphin areas. Canola seeding continues across the region and is 80% seeded in Swan Valley and Roblin areas and 55% completed in the Dauphin area; with 25% emerged in Swan Valley and Roblin areas and 10% in Dauphin.
Approximately 35% of soybeans in Dauphin are seeded; 80% seeded in Swan Valley and soybean seeding is complete in the Roblin area. Field Pea seeding is complete with emergence well underway. Flax seeding is complete in the region and 85% emerging in Roblin area. Corn in the Dauphin/Ste. Rose area has emerged.
Central:
Sunny, warm conditions combined with strong southerly winds helped dry soil surface. This allowed improved machinery access. Over the weekend, a band of thundershowers fell across the region bringing variable amounts of precipitation. The majority of the region received in the 15 to 25 mm of rain but amounts vary widely from 1 mm in the Altona area to 65 mm in the Starbuck area and even over 150 mm in a localized area near Elie.
The extreme precipitation reportedly caused temporary standing water and rapid runoff from the fields. Damage is being assessed and reseeding may be required of fields or portions of fields. Low-lying field ditch areas are expected to drown out in localized fields. With the recent rains, topsoil moisture is considered adequate to excessive with standing water in low-lying areas of fields. Soil temperatures have improved and all crop types are being planted. Cultivation, fertilization, harrowing are being done wherever possible to help dry topsoil.
Overall seeding is considered to be around 45 to 65% complete, with a higher proportion done in the eastern part of the region and less west of the escarpment. Seeding progress ranges widely with some growers reported done to almost done while others have not started yet. An area from Rathwell to StClaude is reported to have wet field conditions with about 20 to 25% seeding progress so far.
Eastern:
Warm and sunny weather last week allowing seeding to proceed rapidly. Day and nighttime temperatures were often above normal and soil temperatures at seeding depth were optimal for seeding, ranging from 15 to 20°C. Rainfall moved into the region over the weekend but was highly variable and localized. Rainfall accumulation amounts ranged from only two to over 40mm with most areas receiving only light rainfall. While field access was significantly improved, there were still some fields or field areas where access is limited due to excess moisture. Some burning of crop residue was still occurring as producers worked to get these remaining fields seeded. Some direct seeding into unworked fields was attempted as a way to make progress.
Across the Eastern Region, approximately 85% of overall seeding completed with the greatest amount of progress in warm season crop types occurring in northern districts. About 90% of spring wheat and oat acres were planted with remaining fields expected to be seeded in the next few days. Approximately 85% of canola was seeded with progress on seeding accelerating last week as growers finished other crops like corn and cereals. Grain corn planting was about 85% complete. Rapid progress last week was possible as the problems of low soil temperatures and field access improved. Around 75% of soybeans were seeded with producers intending to complete seeding before the end of the week, weather permitting. Sunflowers were about 90% planted with remaining acres going in as soon as possible.
Interlake:
Temperatures in the 25 to 28°C range last week allowed for rapid germination and emergence. Canola has emerged in as little as four days, and soybeans in six days – a much different picture than 2019. Significant seeding progress has been made this past week in much of the region. Average temperatures for the previous week climbed rapidly to 18 to 19°C. Average soil temperatures are in the mid- to high teens. While much of the region received trace or minimal amounts of rain, the southern strip saw as much as 25 to 50 mm in parts of St. Andrews, 20 mm in Stonewall, and 10 to 25 mm in Woodlands area.
At this point, most estimate that seeding in the region is 70 to 80% complete. Field conditions continue to be variable. Many producers have completed seeding; some have to pick and choose fields, while some in wetter pockets have struggled to make progress. Crop residue on untilled fields was a problem for many, and unplanned tillage took place to dry out fields. Strong winds and sun have dried out the soil surface, but soils remain wet and hard underneath in many cases, particularly heavier soils. Some have commented they are seeding through dust into muck.
Source : Syngenta