A farmer near MacGregor says despite dry conditions and a need for heat, most of his crops are emerging well.
Curtis Sims, who grows wheat, canola, soybeans and corn, says things are shaping up fairly well so far.
Rainfall helped, but soil is drying out
“It’s pretty dry on top,” he notes. “This moisture is not that far down. Once you get a heavier crop going, they start to get bigger, then it's going to need some more. We'll need some rain along the way. Shower would be nice anytime, but we can hang on for a little bit longer.”
Sims mentions they received a good two to two and a half inches of rain about 10 days ago, which helped get things going.
Emergence going well despite wind and cool nights
Sims says his wheat and canola crops are off to a solid start, adding that “it looks like it's doing quite well. Canola is coming along, seems to be not bad germination overall. The wind seems to have finally stopped, same as last words. So that's better.”
Soybeans are also up, but like corn, could use some warmer weather.
“They're hot weather crops,” he remarks. “These really cool nights slow it down so we could use a little more actual heat.”
Spraying windows hard to come by
Sims notes wind is always a factor when it comes to spraying, calling the season unpredictable.
“I call spraying the two seasons, it's either too hot or too cold or too windy or too rainy or too something,” he says. “It's nice when you get a day that actually works.”
Flea beetles not a big issue this year
The flea beetles that often plague canola crops haven’t been much of a problem this season, according to Sims.
“We've had any trouble with the flea beetles in canola that already volunteer canola was screwed up with the crop, but it was the last crop we put in,” he adds. “But it seems to be pretty good that way.”
High costs and flat prices weigh on farmers
Sims points out the high cost of inputs is creating financial pressure for many in the industry.
“It will cost a lot of money to grow a crop and to spray it and keep these weeds out of it,” he continues. “So we're sure hoping that we get some life in the markets on the financial side here. The costs are a lot higher than they were a few years ago.”
He mentions current prices look decent at face value but don’t keep up with inflation.
“You look at it and say, well, it's not too bad, but then you realize what inflation has done,” says Sims. “And especially on things like equipment, it's just exploded over the last four or five years.”
According to Tuesday’s provincial crop report, seeding in Manitoba is 99 per cent complete, ahead of the five-year average. In the Central Plains region, crops like canola, soybeans, and cereals are emerging, but recent windy and cool conditions have made spraying and early growth a challenge.
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