Flooded fields after heavy rains slow start of harvest in south-central Manitoba

On the edge of a wheat field east of Poplar Point, Man., water had pooled more than 30 centimetres deep this week, swallowing rows of crops.

Producer Carl Stewart says his 2,300-hectare (5,800-acre) wheat, canola and soybean farm has been hit with more rain in the past two weeks than the rest of the summer combined. Some storms brought almost 80 millimetres of water, flooding fields and making it tough to get equipment in for harvest.

Stewart's farm is about 30 kilometres east of Portage la Prairie, an area that normally gets 73 millimetres of rain in August. After being hit with 100 millimetres of rain overnight on Aug. 20-21, it's now had 115 millimetres this month — 157 per cent of the normal monthly total.

That will hit his bottom line this year, said Stewart.

"We're going to have to leave some acres behind, and unfortunately those acres are the ones that go to the bank, not to our creditors," he said.

A section of wheat on the farm has been flattened by the rain, slowing down combining. The wheat sits so low to the ground, dirt comes up as they harvest.

Another section of the farm has so much water it's been hard to get equipment in. Stewart estimates his farm is a week behind in getting crops of fields.