Lack Of Rain Impacting Winter Cereals

Some of the province's winter cereal crops are suffering.

 

That from Dane Froese, Industry Development Specialist with Manitoba Agriculture.

 

"They did not get enough moisture earlier on into September to begin that germination process, particularly in that central region where that moisture is needed and necessary to get those crops germinated and up to about the three/four leaf stage before they freeze and go into dormancy and overwintering," he commented. "Now, we didn't have that growth happen by the time that first frost and solid freeze started to occur. The crop might suffer."

 

Meanwhile, Froese says some farmers are continuing to apply fall fertilizer. Soils have a little bit more moisture due to recent rains and snow, which makes the ground a little more workable. He notes producers are still trying to get as much fertilizer in this fall in order to prepare ahead of time for next spring.

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This material is based upon work that is supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, under agreement number 2023-38640-39573 through the North Central Region SARE program under project number ENC23-226. USDA is an equal opportunity employer and service provider. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and should not be construed to represent any official USDA or U.S. Government determination or policy.