Manitoba Crops Developing Quickly

Jul 05, 2023

Crops are developing quickly across Manitoba, with much of the province seeing at least some precipitation this past week.

However, rainfall continues to be highly variable, with some areas still in need of moisture and others being hit with heavy downpours and hail. Some areas south of Brandon received 125 mm of rain in one hour from a storm early last week, which resulted in standing water in the fields, the report said, adding that producers in Newton, Oakville, and Elm Creek reported large hail, some larger than golf balls.

On the other hand, the report said that while crops in the Eastern Region remain in good condition overall, soil moisture reserves are not adequate to maintain crop conditions “unless recharged relatively soon.”

In terms of crop development, most spring cereal fields in the province range from heading/anthesis to the early milk stage, although some very late seeded crops are still in five leaf stage. Canola ranges from early bolting to full bloom, and field pea crops continued to flower last week and move into the R3 (flat pod) growth stage.

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Video: Why Invest in Canada’s Seed Future? | On The Brink: Episode 3

Darcy Unger just invested millions to build a brand-new seed plant on his farm in Stonewall, Manitoba so when it’s time for his sons to take over, they have the tools they need to succeed.

Right now, 95% of the genetics they’ll be growing come from Canadian plant breeders.

That number matters.

When fusarium hit Western Canada in the late 90s, it was Canadian breeders who responded, because they understood Canadian conditions. That ability to react quickly to what’s happening on Canadian farms is exactly what’s at risk when breeding programs lose funding.

For farmers like Darcy, who have made generational investments based on the assumption that better genetics will keep coming, the stakes are direct and personal.

We’re on the brink of decisions that will shape our agricultural future for not only our generation, but also the ones to come.

What direction will we choose?

On The Brink is a year-long video series traveling across Canada to meet the researchers, breeders, farmers, seed companies, and policymakers shaping the future of Canadian plant breeding. Each week, a new story. Each story, a piece of the bigger picture.

Episode 3 is above. Follow Seed World Canada to catch every episode, and tell us: Do you think the next generation will have the tools they need to success when they takeover? How is the future going to look?