Seeding now 30 per cent complete

The recent rains have helped to improve crop and pasture conditions, with most areas reporting 100 per cent of normal precipitation since May 1st. The central and northern parts of the Interlake and Eastern regions have accumulated less than 100 per cent of the 30-year average.

Dennis Lange puts together Manitoba's Weekly Crop Report and says the rain has helped to move things along nicely.

"Overall, the hay fields are in good shape, but there have been some icy conditions this past winter that have taken their toll on some of the alfalfa plant stands in some locations. So in those locations growers are experiencing a little bit of winter kill. And their looking to offset that by putting things in like corn and sudan grass to offset the potential loss of feed production. "

Hay and feed supplies are normal, but there will be limited carryover, pasture water supplies are being replenished with the recent rains and are now closer to average. Producers have adequate feed to last cattle until summer turnout but will have minimal to no carryover feed. Some cattle operators in the south-east have already started to move animals to pasture, while others are holding them back or using a sacrifice pasture to allow the grass more time to grow. 

Lange says on the crop side, farmers have made some real progress in between the rains with 30 per cent of the crop now in the ground, slightly ahead of the 5-year average of 20 per cent.

Provincially, 60 per cent of the corn, 58 per cent of the cereals, 72 per cent of the peas are in, 15 per cent of the soybeans, 13 per cent of the sunflowers and 6 per cent of the canola has been seeded.

He says, depending on the weather, producers could be back in the fields in the next few days, and will be looking at starting dry beans sometime next week.

Manitoba Agriculture's complete crop report is available here.

To hear Glenda-Lee's conversation with Pulse and Soybean Specialist Dennis Lange click on the link below.