Farmers in the province have 98 per cent of the crop harvested, the Oct. 20 crop report said
Staff Writer
Farms.com
Most farmers in Manitoba have finished harvest and experienced an average year.
Bill Campbell recently gained a sense of harvest conditions across the province through an advisory council meeting. He serves as president of Keystone Agricultural Producers (KAP).
“The common theme amongst all the districts was a good to average type of thing. You always hope for more, but it was pretty consistent across the province. Yields were pretty good. Probably the biggest thing in harvest this year was the ease at which it went (as producers didn’t) have to deal with mud. I would suggest the quality of the crop is pretty good,” he told Farms.com.
While yields vary across the province, wheat came in around 60 to 80 bushel per acre, canola averaged around 40 bu/ac, and soybeans averaged 40 bu/ac, said Campbell.
“The traditional cereal crops handled some of the weather conditions (in Manitoba) better. The good old standbys – wheat, barley and oats – seemed to handle (conditions) as good as any crop that we had,” said Campbell.
Some crops, like corn and sunflowers, are still in the field. Producers have harvested almost all other crops. In total, 98 per cent of crops in the bin, the Oct. 20 crop report said.
The lack of rainfall this fall helped producers finish harvest in a good time, said Campbell.
Now, however, producers are worried about the implications of dry conditions for fall fieldwork in preparation for the 2021 crop.
“Certain areas have some concerns about the (lack of) moisture for the fall application of fertilizer and field work. Some areas are very dry. We've seen some concerns about dugouts and watering, (as well as feed) for livestock. Without (much) moisture throughout August and September, the regrowth on pastures was really limited in places,” said Campbell.
Most of Manitoba dealt with a lack of rainfall this year but producers hope for precipitation throughout the winter to help the 2021 crop, said Campbell.
Photo credit: CNH Industrial photo