Another week of very dry weather in the southwest had producers holding off seeding, with only oilseeds left to seed and conditions too dry to plant, Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives said this morning in its weekly crop report.
Many of the crops planted to date are sitting in dry soil. As of Friday crops that were sown in the middle of April had just started to emerge.
Seeding is full swing in North Parkland with approximately 60 per cent of cereals and 50 per cent of field peas seeded.
In the Swan Valley, approximately 70 per cent of the wheat acres are seeded with producers moving to seed canola. Producers have indicated that soil conditions are quite favorable for field operations.
Most reports for the northwest indicate adequate soil moisture for germination, but soil temperatures are cool.
The weather stayed cool in central Manitoba for most of the week, with below freezing temperatures most nights. Warmer temperatures occurred over the weekend, with rain finally starting late on Sunday night.
Excellent seeding progress was made this past week. The majority of cereals have been seeded. Rows are just showing in the earliest seeded wheat and barley fields on the east half of the region.
In eastern Manitoba, seeding progressed rapidly, with southwestern areas most advanced and less so in the northeast areas of the region.
The biggest cropping concern in the region was continued cool soils and cool weather patterns which could adversely affect crop emergence. Both crop and weed emergence were noted as very slow. For most producers, some precipitation would be welcome, provided it was followed by warmer weather and clear skies.
Cool weather conditions prevailed in the Interlake, with overnight temperatures dropping to minus-5 to minus-7 degrees. There was no precipitation for the past week. Western areas tend to be drier than the eastern areas, however, pastures tend to be drier than normal across the region for this time of year.
Pasture and hay crops are progressing very slowly with little to no growth. Almost no fertilizer application on forages will take place as fertilizer costs are extreme and livestock producers simply cannot afford the cost.
The top soil moisture conditions are becoming dry and a good rain would be welcomed by most farmers.
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