Bumper crop yields in Manitoba

Sep 27, 2017

While harvest continues, 2017 has been stellar

By: Kate Ayers

Staff Reporter

Optimum summer conditions have led to bumper canola and wheat crops as harvest continues in Manitoba.

“If you go over a five-year average, or a 10-year average, I would say this is one of the better crops we’ve grown in recent memory,” Dan Mazier, Keystone Agricultural Producers president, said in a cbc.ca article this morning.

Summer’s timely rains, high daytime temperatures, and cool evenings were perfect for a banner growing season. Low humidity, along with moisture reserves from last fall, have contributed to above average yields as well.

“When we went into the dry cycles, we were pretty fortunate to have low humidity, so then not much disease. The plants were treated well all during the growing season,” said Mazier.

Recent rain has delayed soybean harvest slightly, the article explained. However, soybean, corn and sunflower harvests are still expected to be strong.

“From a farmer’s perspective, you look at it as the average,” Mazier said.

“You take these years – the good years – and you make up for the bad years, or the years that weren’t so good.”

Video: Winter Canola Trial in Mississippi | Can It Work for Double Cropping? | Pioneer Agronomy

Can winter canola open new opportunities for growers in the Mid-South? In this agronomy update from Noxubee County, Mississippi, Pioneer agronomist Gus Eifling shares an early look at a first-year winter canola trial and what farmers are learning from the field.

Planted in late October on 30-inch rows, the crop is now entering the bloom stage and progressing quickly. In this video, we walk through current field conditions, fertility management, and how timing could make this crop a valuable option for double-cropping soybeans or cotton.

If harvest timing lines up with early May, growers may be able to transition directly into another crop during ideal planting windows. Ongoing field trials will help determine whether canola could become a viable rotational option for the region.

Watch for:

How winter canola is performing in its first season in this Mississippi field

Why growers chose 30-inch rows for this trial

What the crop looks like as it moves from bolting into bloom

Fertility strategy, including nitrogen and sulfur applications

How canola harvest timing could enable double-cropping with soybeans or cotton

Upcoming trials comparing soybeans after canola vs. traditional planting

As more growers look for ways to maximize acres and diversify rotations, experiments like this help determine what new crops might fit into existing systems.