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Soggy fields spur Manitoba farmers to swap corn acres for wheat

Farmers struggling in waterlogged parts of Canada’s Prairies are simply ditching acres of corn and soybeans for crops that are likely to fare better, like wheat and canola.

Growers are “extremely concerned” about planting delays, which is prompting the shift, Manitoba’s provincial agriculture ministry said Tuesday in a report. Soybeans and corn have to be planted earlier in the spring season or there is a risk yields will drop. Virtually nothing has been planted in the Canadian province after heavy rainfall in April saturated fields and led 26 municipalities to declare states of emergency due to flooding.

More rain is forecast for the eastern prairies this week. Canada is one of the world’s major exporters of wheat and the top shipper of canola.

“There’s great concern,” said Bill Campbell, president of Keystone Agricultural Producers. “Some guys have started to seed but I could probably count them on one hand.”

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