Canada Markets

DTN Staff

OMAHA (DTN) -- The following are details from Manitoba's weekly crop progress report of the season, issued July 24 from Manitoba Agriculture and Resource Development.

Warmer conditions over the past week advanced crop growth. Fall rye was in the late dough stage to dry down stage with harvest anticipated to start in about 10 days if weather allows. Winter wheat stands were in the hard dough stage with some evidence of crop maturity and dry down starting to occur. Sunflower stands range from very late vegetative to the early R2 growth stage, with a lot of variation due to varied planting dates and water stressed conditions. The most advanced corn fields have begun to tassel, but most crops are between V8 and V10. The earliest-seeded canola fields were pod-filling with flowering coming to an end. Increased flower blast due to the very warm temperatures was also noted by producers and agronomists.

OTHER PROVINCIAL HIGHLIGHTS:

Agro-Manitoba received variable amounts of precipitation during the past seven days. Once again, isolated heavy rains occurred in several regions. Precipitation for the past week ranged from zero millimeters (mm) to 43.3 mm. Manitou (41.3 mm) received the most precipitation.

Climate normals for total accumulated precipitation from May 1 to July 21 range from 145.4 mm to 235.7 mm and are based on 30-year historical data. With recent rainfall events, precipitation accumulation in most areas has exceeded 135% of normal precipitation since May 1.

OVERVIEW BY COMMODITY

CEREALS

Fall rye was in the late dough stage to dry down stage with harvest anticipated to start in about ten days if weather allows. Winter wheat stands were in the hard dough stage with some evidence of crop maturity and dry down starting to occur.

-- The most advanced corn fields have begun to tassel, but most crops are between V8 and V10.

-- Spring wheat is between anthesis and hard dough, with most oat and barley at the milk stage.

-- Spring wheat quality is rated mostly fair to good with 5 to 10% of the crop being reported as poor in the Southwest, Northwest, Central, and Interlake regions

OILSEEDS

The earliest-seeded canola fields were pod-filling with flowering coming to an end. Increased flower blast due to the very warm weather was also noted by both producers and agronomists.

-- Sunflower stands range from very late vegetative to the early R2 growth stage, with a lot of variation due to varied planting dates and water stressed conditions.

-- Most flax fields were at growth stage 7 (first flower) to growth stage 8 (full flower, capsules starting to form) with overall crop condition rated as good aside from flooded and saturated field areas.

PULSES AND SOYBEANS

-- Field peas are in the R3 to R4 stage. For the most part, fields are looking good, however there are fields affected by the excess moisture and doing poorly, most notably in the Central and Eastern Regions.

-- Soybeans are in the R1to R2 stage and have seen rapid growth of the last week due to the hot humid conditions.

-- Iron deficiency chlorosis can still be found in fields, but most fields have recovered.

FORAGES AND LIVESTOCK

FORAGES

-- Roughly 90% of dairy producers in the Eastern region have completed first-cut harvest of alfalfa fields and 35% have completed second cut. Some producers have opted to use grass intended for hay as bale silage.

-- Beef producers continue to make progress on first cut of tame hay stands with most fields situated at higher elevations completed. Low lying areas must dry more before they can be accessed with equipment.

-- Hay stands are maturing quickly; however, rain showers continue to make it difficult to produce good quality, dry hay. A significant amount of feed is being harvested as round bale silage. Yields are good, but quality will be a concern this fall, and feed testing will be beneficial.

-- Preliminary reports have indicated 2-2.5 metric tons per acre on tame hay fields. Many fields still have wet areas which producers need to cut around and leave for later harvest.

-- Corn silage fields have responded well to high temperatures with staging at V8-V10.

LIVESTOCK

-- Pastures are in excellent condition, with alfalfa looking particularly good due to the rain, now in the late flower stage.

-- Pairs are looking healthy with plenty of grass to graze, and bulls have been placed with cows.

-- Cattle on pasture are in excellent condition and the grass is growing well. Low-lying areas of pastures are becoming damaged from hoof action and wet conditions.

-- Producers are attempting to control fly numbers on pasture and are looking for pink eye and foot rot where conditions remain wet underfoot.

-- Water supplies remain in excellent condition. Dugouts are 95% full.

REGIONAL COMMENTS

SOUTHWEST

Isolated showers brought additional moisture to already wet soils. Crops are however benefiting from these hot and humid days and progressing rapidly. Daytime highs ranged from 27.5 degrees Celsius to 30.5 degrees C this past week, with minimum overnight temperatures varying from 4.9 C to 7.5 C. Smoky conditions in the Southwest region towards the end of the reporting period have helped reduce heat damage to crops.

Winter cereals will soon be desiccated, with about 80% at the hard dough stage. Spring cereals are also progressing well due to hot and humid weather conditions, with some early-seeded fields now at the soft dough stage. Fungicide application in spring wheat is 90% complete. Some cereal fields experienced lodging due to heavy winds and excess moisture. Spring cereals and canola are showing exceptional potential this year.

Canola is at various stages; early seeded canola is exiting the flowering stage, while late-seeded fields are currently in full bloom. Most of the crop has received fungicide application, though continuous heat is affecting canola flowering.

Field peas are podding well, with most fields looking good. There are some reports of pea aphids, but no spraying has been done yet. Producers have sprayed fungicides to manage diseases. Soybeans continue to respond well to high temperatures and moisture, with 70-80% of soybean fields at the R2-R3 stage and 20% at the R1-R2 stage. Sunflowers are at the R1 stage, while corn is at the V10 stage. Both are benefiting from the hot weather and progressing well.

NORTHWEST

Another week of hot weather with temperatures in the high 20s C and into 30s C. The Pas station had the highest recorded temperature at 31 C degrees. Only some areas received precipitation this week with Drifting River receiving the most at 19 mm. High humidity and smoky conditions were also common across the region this week. High temperatures have advanced crops rapidly this week.

Winter wheat and fall rye crops are mostly in soft dough stage and looking good in most areas not affected by excess moisture. Most of the spring wheat is headed out and in grain development.

Earliest fields are moving into the soft dough stage and remainder behind that. Some crops that were lodged by previous storms have recovered. Fields affected by excess moisture are showing signs of stress and are yellowed and stunted. Earliest field peas are now in R4 stage and the remainder of crop in R3. For the most part, fields are looking good, however there are fields affected by the excess moisture and are doing poorly.

The majority of the canola crops are in the flowering/podding stages; however, later-seeded fields are in the rosette/bolting stage. Crops are more advanced in Swan River/Roblin and behind in the Dauphin area due to excess moisture in spring. Fungicide application continues as appropriate stages are reached.

Soybean crops are in the R1 stage and mostly looking good. Recent heat has helped and advanced the crops quickly. There are crops in the Dauphin area that were stressed from excess moisture and are in the vegetative stage.

CENTRAL

Most days were warm and humid with heavy morning dews. Smoke has reduced visibility at times. Rainfall varied greatly across the region with Manitou receiving the most (41 mm), and Lakeland the least (1 mm). Even though water has mostly receded from low spots within fields, there is still visible water stress and dead spots in low lying areas.

The recent warmer weather promoted rapid crop development during the past few days and have benefited the edible beans, soybeans and corn the most.

The crop stage of each crop varies greatly at the local level across the region, with crops in north around at a younger developmental stage than those in the Pembina Valley. Fall rye and winter wheat are at the hard dough stage to ripening stage. The earliest fields will likely be harvested in the next 7 to 10 days. Most spring wheat is between anthesis and hard dough, with most oat and barley at the milk stage. Some lodging is present in barley and wheat fields due to high wind speed and rainfall earlier in the season, but much of the early season lodging has recovered.

Field peas are at full pod (R4), but most fields have been impacted by the moist field conditions this year. Mycosphaerella blight, powdery mildew, bacterial blight and root rot are present in pea fields. Soybean are beginning to flower (R1) to full bloom (R2), with the earliest fields beginning to pod (R3).

Canola is in mid to late flowering, with the most advanced fields now at pod fill. The weather conditions are favorable for sclerotinia development, so farms are spraying where appropriate. Flax is between stage 7 (first flower) and stage 8 (full flower, capsules starting to form). Sunflowers are at R1 to R2 stages. Downy mildew is present in sunflower crops where there has been standing water.

Grain corn growth has been slow this year due to the cool weather and excess water. Many fields look uneven with areas of short and yellow corn. The warmer conditions during the past week have helped with rapid corn development and has improved the look of fields. The most advanced corn fields have begun to tassel, but most crops are between V8 and V10.

EASTERN

Rainfall amounts over the last week were again highly variable and ranged from 3 mm to 55 mm. Highest accumulations were usually in central and southern districts. Some reports of localized hailstorms of varying intensity were also received. Temperatures this past week continued warmer than normal and field crops that were not suffering from extended water stress continued to demonstrate rapid growth. Standing water issues were somewhat subsiding in areas that did not receive significant rainfall but remained a general on-going issue across the entire region. All crops continued to display yellowing and loss of plants in lower field areas and field drains.

Fall rye was in the late dough stage to dry down stage with harvest anticipated to start in about 10 days if weather allows. Winter wheat stands were in the hard dough stage with some evidence of crop maturity and dry down starting to occur. Early seeded spring wheat was mostly in the soft dough stage with early seeded oats and barley in the milk stage. Lodging in more advanced spring wheat fields continued to be observed as heavy rains as part of isolated severe thunderstorms continued to occur. Where field access allowed, fungicide applications continued at the appropriate stage for later-seeded spring cereals.

Corn stages ranged from late vegetative to early tassel in fields not overly saturated. Many corn fields are very uneven with saturated field areas containing yellowed corn plants with delayed development and dead plants being found in areas that were under water for prolonged periods of time. The higher temperatures continued to accelerate crop development. Continued higher temperatures without rain are needed to further even out the crop.

Soybean growth stage ranged from R1 (beginning bloom) to early R2 (full bloom) in most fields. However, growers and agronomist have noted that some soybean crops and individual plants within fields are flowering much later than expected this year which is being attributed to both the temperatures patterns and excess moisture being experienced this growing season. In general, the crop looks to be handling the excess moisture and second pass herbicide applications were almost complete where field access was possible.

Some herbicide spraying was still occurring on very late-seeded canola crop as field conditions allowed. Fungicide applications continued on crops at the appropriate stage given the weather conditions and the potential for sclerotinia development. The earliest-seeded canola fields were pod-filling with flowering coming to an end. Increased flower blast due to the very warm conditions was also noted by both producers and agronomists.

Field peas stands were at the R4 (full pod) growth stage and overall crop condition continued to suffer because of the extended wet conditions. Yellowing in saturated field areas continued to be evident with wilting plants and ample evidence of rot root. Dry conditions continue to be needed to prevent root diseases from taking hold in even larger areas of fields.

Sunflower stands range from very late vegetative to the early R2 growth stage, with a lot of variation due to varied planting dates and water stressed conditions. Most flax fields were at growth stage 7 (first flower) to growth stage 8 (full flower, capsules starting to form) with overall crop condition rated as good aside from flooded and saturated field areas.

INTERLAKE

Rapid crop development continues with warm weather and high humidity. Rainfall continues to be variable with scattered thundershowers. Rainfall amounts over the weekend ranged from 20 to 28.7 mm for Clarkleigh, Lake Francis, Stonewall, and Woodlands. The Teulon area received 3.4 mm while Aborg, Petersfield, Fisherton, Selkirk, Poplarfield and Inwood areas received 5 to 17.6 mm. Field conditions continue to be variable with noticeable standing water and water stress symptoms in some areas in the region.

High temperatures and good moisture have allowed excellent progress in crop advancement. Winter wheat and fall rye are at soft dough to hard dough stages, with advanced fields ripening. Spring wheat growth stage ranged from flag to soft dough. Most of the lodged cereals have recovered over the last week. Spring wheat quality is rated as good across the region. Barley and Oat are fully headed and flowered.

Heat and moisture have been great for both grain and silage corn; all areas reported rapid growth. Grain corn looks good with a nice dark green colour. Corn is at the V10 to early tassel growth stages. Saturated areas appear to be yellowed with uneven stands.

Peas look excellent, flowering and pods are filling well. Most peas are at R1 to R4 stages. Soybeans have seen a rapid growth with heat and moisture. Rows are filling in although stands look shorter than normal in some areas. Flowering continues; most advanced fields are R1 to early R3, with pods forming at the bottom of plants. Later-seeded fields in the third to fourth trifoliate stage. Minimal signs of iron deficiency chlorosis (IDC) remain.

Canola varies widely, some fields look great with a nice even stand while others are thin and stagey. The earliest-seeded canola fields are fully podded but a number are still flowering while late-seeded fields are in full bloom stage. Producers are applying fungicide for sclerotinia. Sunflowers are as advanced as R1 to R2 stage. Flax growth stages ranging from stage 5 to 7.

(c) Copyright 2024 DTN, LLC. All rights reserved.