Cereal crop quality ranges across the province

Manitoba's cereal crops are generally looking good.

Anne Kirk is the province's cereal specialist.

"I think they're looking good across the province," she said. "The earlier seeded cereals are obviously looking the best. Emergence has been good because of all of the moisture. We are seeing some drowned out area in fields that have had excess moisture or poor emergence in areas of fields with excess moisture. Like all crops, there's a range of cereal crops stand and quality across the province."

Kirk is presenting this week at the Crop Diagnostic School taking place in Carman.

She talked about seeding rates.

"Based on some research that's been done at the diversification centres in Manitoba in the last few years, we looked at a range of seeding rates in wheat, oats, and barley and didn't see many significant differences in terms of actual yields. Just showing how the plant is able to compensate for those poor plant stands and having a lot of space by really producing a lot of tillers and many more productive tillers and at that higher seeding rate."

The Manitoba Crop Diagnostic School wraps on Friday at the University of Manitoba Ian N. Morrison Research Farm in Carman.