Soybean Producers Hope For Frost-Free September

Soybean producers are hoping for a couple more weeks of frost-free conditions.

Dennis Lange, farm production advisor for Manitoba Agriculture, Food, and Rural Development, says beans in the western part of the province are at the R5 stage while further east he's seen up to R6.5.

"Frost can always be a realistic concern for growers," he said. "We need to get to that R7 stage which is where you see at least one mature brown pod on the plant. Once we hit that R7 stage that means that if we do get a frost at that stage, it doesn't really affect the yield as much as if you were to get it earlier."

Lange notes a frost at the R7 stage would cause yield losses around 5%, while an earlier frost at the R5 or R6 stage could create up to 50% yield loss.

His guess right now is that yields could be in the low-thirties range.

Source: PortageOnline