June brought its share of thunderstorm activity to the Prairies.
The Canadian Crop Hail Association says mid-June thunderstorms damaged crops across Western Canada, dropping pea- to toonie-sized hail.
CCHA member companies are investigating more than 900 claims of crop damage from hailstorms that occurred June 13-20. The majority of the claims were filed in Alberta and Saskatchewan.
Farmers have been out evaluating crop damage to determine the impact, as some crops can recover depending on the damage and the stage of the crop.
The crops have also been dealing with hot, dry, windy conditions as well as insect and disease concerns. Grasshopper and flea beetle activity continues, with waterhemp being an issue in Manitoba and stripe rust symptoms showing up in Southern Alberta.
In Manitoba, fungicide applications for Fusarium head blight are ongoing. Crop development for winter wheat and fall rye is listed as being at the grain fill stage. The majority of corn fields range from V5 to V8. The earliest seeded spring wheat is in anthesis. • Barley and oats range from stem elongation to head emergence. Spring wheat quality is mostly rated as good, with 10% of the crop being reported as fair.
There's a wide range of growth due to a long seeding window for canola. Late-seeded canola ranges from the 4-leaf stage to rosette. The earliest seeded canola is in full flower. Field peas have started flowering in most areas...with early-seeded soybeans in the R1 to R2 stage and later-seeded soybeans ranging from V3 to V5.
In Saskatchewan, crops continue to advance quickly. Provincially, half of the fall and spring cereal crops are in good condition, with most of the other half in fair to poor condition. For pulses, half to two-thirds of crops are in good condition, with most of the rest in fair condition, and most oilseed crops are listed in fair to good condition.
Gophers are reportedly causing minor crop damage, while cabbage seed pod weevil damage in canola is considered to be minor to severe.
Alberta's last crop report (for June 24th) showed major crop conditions had improved and are rated as good to excellent but remain below the 5- and 10-year averages...the Peace Region area saw a decrease in crop conditions due to the dry conditions.
Precipitation in June has significantly increased surface moisture levels across much of the province, supporting crops and pasture development. Most regions show some greening and regrowth of pastures, though growth remains limited due to prior dry conditions. Alberta is set to release its next crop report later this afternoon.