Manitoba Harvest Hits 4% Complete

Isolated rainfall and storm events brought both relief and delays to Manitoba farmers once again this past week, as harvest progress reached 4% complete across the province. Rainfall accumulations ranged from 4.0 mm to more than 100 mm, with the highest totals at Minitonas, which received 107.4 mm, including nearly 38 mm in just four hours on Aug. 17. 

The Central Region led harvesting at 7% complete as of Monday, followed by the Interlake at 6%. The Eastern Region was 4% complete, the Southwest 2%, and the Northwest 1%. Provincewide, winter wheat and fall rye were both 52% harvested, while barley was 8%, oats 4%, spring wheat 6%, and peas 19%. Early seeded canola harvesting has also begun in the Central region. 

Winter wheat yields ranged from 40 to 90 bushels per acre depending on rainfall, while fall rye yields were generally 60 to 90 bu/acre, with some hybrids producing as high as 135 bu/acre. Spring wheat yields are emerging in the 45 to 75 bu/acre range, with generally good quality. Early yield reports for peas average 60 bu/acre 

In the Central Region, preliminary canola yields are 45 to 55 bu/acre.  

In the Southwest, rainfall benefitted later crops but slowed harvest. Yields for winter cereals are average to slightly below average, with spring cereals maturing and some lodging reported. Canola is in pod-fill, with swathing underway in early-seeded fields.