Harvesting Underway in Manitoba 

Manitoba crops continued to advance rapidly toward maturity during the past week, with some early harvesting underway. 

Crop development accelerated during the week, according to the latest weekly crop report on Tuesday.  Winter cereal harvest has started, while most spring cereals have reached the soft to hard dough stages. Desiccation is underway in some spring cereal fields, and harvest has begun in the earliest barley. 

Corn also developed quickly, with most fields reaching the blister to milk stages. Longer-season crops remain dependent on August moisture, particularly in areas where rainfall has been limited, the report said 

Canola is generally podding and beginning seed colour change, with swathing underway in the Central Region. Soybeans are mainly at the R4 to R5 stages, while peas are approaching maturity, with desiccation and early harvest underway.  

Scattered showers were reported in all regions, but most of the Southwest, Northwest, Central and Interlake received less than 10 mm, with many locations seeing under 5 mm. The heaviest rainfall was in the Eastern Region, where Prawda received 38.3 mm. 

Since May 1, precipitation has been above normal across the entire Northwest and in large portions of the Southwest and Interlake. Some areas of the Northwest and Interlake have accumulated more than 300 mm. Meanwhile, localized areas of the Southwest, Central and Eastern regions remain below 80% of normal precipitation. 

SOUTHWEST 

• Cooler weather prevailed, with daytime highs in the mid-20s and overnight temperatures dropping into the single digits.  

• Mostly dry conditions helped crops ripen quickly and moved harvest closer.  

• Fall rye harvest has started, while winter wheat desiccation is underway.  

• Spring cereals are ripening rapidly, with barley swathing and cereal desiccation expected to begin soon.  

• Soybeans are at R5 to early R6 and remain promising, although additional moisture would help maximize yields.  

• Canola is mostly filling pods, with early fields beginning to change colour; pea harvest is also expected to start shortly.  

NORTHWEST 

• Milder, windy weather helped soils dry, although crusting and field-access problems remain in areas affected by earlier excess moisture.  

• Road, field and infrastructure repairs continue following washouts.  

• Fall rye and winter wheat are mostly mature, with harvest and pre-harvest applications underway.  

• Spring cereals range from milk to soft dough, with later fields continuing to catch up.  

• Canola is mostly podding, although excess-moisture areas continue to show delayed development.  

• Peas are moving toward maturity, while the most advanced soybeans have reached R4.  

CENTRAL 

• Winter wheat and fall rye are mature and harvest has started across the region.  

• Spring cereal desiccation is underway, with harvest beginning in the earliest barley fields.  

• Early barley yields are reported to be very good.  

• Soybeans are mainly at R5, while pea harvest has begun.  

• Corn is generally at the blister to early milk stages.  

• Early canola is changing colour and swathing has started, while later fields remain in the podding stage.  

EASTERN 

• Rainfall was more widespread, with most locations receiving 3 to 12 mm and heavier amounts in some areas.  

• Producers welcomed the moisture but would like more rain for corn and soybeans during grain and pod filling.  

• Winter cereals are at hard dough, with desiccation and some harvesting underway.  

• Spring wheat is mainly at hard dough, with desiccation expected to begin shortly.  

• Corn has largely moved into the blister to early milk stages and continues to benefit from warm weather and moisture.  

• Soybeans are around R5 and generally look good, while early canola is changing colour; poor pod set from earlier heat remains a yield concern.  

INTERLAKE 

• Crops are maturing rapidly, while field conditions have improved substantially in the southwestern part of the region.  

• Winter wheat and fall rye are mature, and most spring cereals are at hard dough.  

• Spring wheat desiccation is expected to begin in the earliest fields this week.  

• Corn growth has been strong, with most fields between silking and early milk.  

• Peas are in excellent condition with well-filled pods, and some southern fields have been desiccated.  

• Soybeans and canola generally look very good, with early canola beginning to ripen while later fields remain in flower.