Overview
Crop development has been rapid. Rainfall amounts varied with storms moving through the Western and Central regions bringing heavy rain and hail in isolated areas. Fungicide application in spring wheat for fusarium head blight continues as conditions and staging allows. Canola fungicide application has also started as fields reach the correct stage for application. Fields are being accessed for disease risk potential and some producers are choosing to hold off spraying if disease pressure is low. Some in crop spraying for control of grasshoppers as well as spraying of field headlands has occurred. Water tables are surprisingly low for this time of year, and dugouts are approximately 30 per cent full in the Eastern region and 70 per cent in the Western region.
Cereals
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Corn growth continues to progress quickly, and varies greatly depending on soil moisture and region. Staging ranges from V7 to V9 leaf stage.
Most spring cereal fields ranged from heading/anthesis to the early milk stage, although some very late seeded crops are still in five leaf stage. Fusarium head blight applications continued throughout all regions based on moisture conditions.
Fall rye moved into the hard dough growth stage over the last week. Winter wheat crops were mostly at the soft to hard dough stage. Winter cereals remained in good to excellent condition.
Oilseeds
Canola ranges from early bolting to full bloom. Fungicide application has started and will continue as fields enter the correct timing for application. Producers are watching fields for armyworms and diamondback moth.
Sunflower fields moved into the R1and R2 (early bud) growth stages over the past week with the crop demonstrating rapid growth and good to excellent condition. Herbicide applications are complete. Scouting for insects resumed with the arrival of reproductive growth stages.
Flax crops moved to growth stage 6 (buds visible) and plants in growth stage 7 (first flower) could be found in fields. Herbicide applications were complete. The crop remains in good condition.
Pulses and soybeans
Field pea crops continued to flower last week and move into the R3 (flat pod) growth stage. Producers and agronomists continued assessing the need for fungicide applications as field peas continued to advance rapidly in the warm temperatures and relatively dry conditions.
Soybean growth stage ranged from second trifoliate on very late seeded fields to R1 (early flower) and R2 (full flower) on most fields. Crop growth and development continued to be rapid in the warm weather. Overall crop condition remains good on most fields with the exception of some later seeded crop that remains stagey and thin due to poor topsoil moisture conditions at seeding time.
Forages & livestock
Forages
Approximately 75 per cent of beef producers have begun haying, however cutting was largely put on hold in response to the rains.
Beef producers expect to be back in the hay fields this coming week.
Hay yields are highly variable due to the patchy nature of thunder storms and associated rainfall
experienced to date.
The recent moisture is vital for regrowth on hayfields that have already been cut.
Early forage growth is adequate for grazing, but regrowth will be reduced unless producers receive more
rainfall. Second cut will be minimal without any further rain. Hay yields are down this year, with many
producers saying they received only around a third of what they did last year.
Pastures that were grazed early are in poor condition but recent rain has helped some of the better
managed pastures.
Livestock
Cattle are out on pasture and grass conditions are fair.
Fly pressure is strong this year and is contributing to issues with pink eye.
Cases of foot rot have been reported to a lesser degree.
Dugout levels are quite variable: all are declining, some are dry. Water quality is a concern in low dugouts.
Regional comments
Southwest
A major storm hit Brandon and areas to the south early in the week. Some areas south of Brandon received 125 mm of rain in one hour, which resulted in standing water in the fields. This storm was not very wide spread but caused some damage to the crops in the area. Pea size hail also reported in that area. Hot and dry weather during last week in most of southwest region. All other areas of the region still very dry and are in need of good precipitation soon.
Fall rye and winter wheat are maturing fast and looks to be average to below average due to heat and lack of moisture. Some producers are spraying for armyworms in fall rye. Most spring cereals are heading in both wheat and barley. Hot dry conditions have affected the crop and rainfall is needed within the next week as tillers are starting to show stress in some areas. Fungicides are being applied but as conditions remain dry, producers are starting to reduce applications. Premature heading due to dry conditions are visible in some areas as height of the plants are shorter than normal.
Peas are flowering and early seeded peas are in pod fill stage. Crop looks to be average to above average. Very little disease showing up so far.
Canola ranges from early bolting to full bloom. Fungicide application has started and will continue as fields enter the correct timing for application. Producers are watching fields for armyworms and diamondback moth.
Most soybeans are at V3-R1 stage. Majority of fields are shorter than normal. They have handled dry weather good so far but are starting to show stress with heat and lack of moisture, especially on lighter soils.
Diamond back moth and bertha armyworm counts are low in the southwest region. Grasshoppers and cereal armyworms are the issues in some areas of the region.
Northwest
Another week of high temperatures had crops advancing quickly. Areas that are dry and short on precipitation are starting to show the effects. Several localized storms came through the region again with damaging hail in the Gilbert Plains area and Fork River area. The highest accumulated rainfall for the week was Ingles with 57 mm.
Spring wheat continued to advance and is now flowering or just finshed flowering. Many fungicide treatments are complete as stages were reached. True armyworm has been reported in several areas including Dauphin, Swan Valley and The Pas. Some control has been required as numbers exceed threshold levels.
Canola is at various stages. While the most advanced canola is starting to pod, the latest seeded canola is quite behind at rosette stage. Adequate moisture would help significantly.
Field peas continue in the R2 and beginning R3 stages. Soybean is now into R1 stage and for the most part looks good. Some areas continue to see grasshopper activity increasing.
Central
Thunderstorms moved through the Central region this past week. Producers who received these thunderstorms have been grateful for the moisture. However, for a number of producers these storms brought hail. Producers in Newton, Oakville, and Elm Creek reported large hail, some larger than golf balls. Fields north of St. Claude, around Roland, and northwest of Winkler also received hail this past week.
Most herbicide spraying is now complete. At this time many crops are undergoing or approaching canopy closure, so there is little need or opportunity for additional herbicide applications.
Applications for the control of fusarium head blight took place throughout last week, however a number of producers are unlikely to apply fungicide because of the dry season and the predicted yield of their individual crops. Likewise, some producers have applied fungicides in peas, but many are waiting to see what the risk of infection will be before applying.
Armyworms continue to be present in producers’ fields, at times above threshold levels, affecting spring cereals, fall rye, and forage grasses. Some producers have seen armyworms move into other crops, including soybean. Grasshoppers are very high in some areas, but levels are often localized so it is very important to scout. Damage is being observed at the edges of fields near ditches, with some producers spraying pastures, ditches and field margins especially in cereals and canola. In a few extreme cases producers have sprayed entire fields for grasshoppers. Producers are observing green clover worm feeding in soybeans and dry beans. Aphids are showing up in cereals. Some alfalfa weevil feeding has been reported in alfalfa fields. Leafhopper nymphs appearing in soybean and dry bean fields.
Crops vary greatly depending on planting date and how much rainfall they have received, with some areas incredibly variable and patchy. Most cereals are now entering heading or anthesis, with a smaller number at the soft milk stage. Corn growth continues to progress quickly, and varies greatly depending on soil moisture and region. The earliest corn is around V9. Many corn fields are chest high or even higher. Winter cereals are quickly approaching maturity, with winter wheat at the soft dough stage and fall rye at the hard dough stage. There is some concern that spring applied nitrogen was not accessed by crop because of lack of rain.
Most canola is between the bolting to 50 per cent flowering stage. There is the odd field which was reseeded which is still at an earlier stage. Soybeans are mostly in the very early flowering (R1) and full flowering (R2) stages. Peas continue to flower, with the most advanced moving into the flat pod stage (R3).
Field peas appear to be shorter than they were in 2022 due to lack of moisture. Their short root system seems to be making them show the effects of low moisture in the driest areas.
Sunflowers are looking healthy and are between V10 – R1. The most advanced fields have reached R2. Flax is at growth stage 7.
Eastern
Accumulated rainfall over the reporting period ranged from trace amounts to more than 20 mm but was highly localized within and across districts. Day and night time temperatures were seasonably warm but gradually rose over to above normal over the weekend. Most producers remained focused on fungicide and insecticide applications, continued field scouting and watching the weather forecast. While some areas did receive significant amounts of rainfall, many growers would welcome rain over the coming days and weeks even if it slowed down their field activities. While crops remain in good conditions overall, soil moisture reserves are not adequate to maintain crop condition unless recharged relatively soon.
Fall rye moved into the hard dough growth stage over the last week. Winter wheat crops were mostly at the soft to hard dough stage. Although winter cereals and grass forage seed crops remained in good to excellent condition overall, armyworms continued to be a concern with lots of scouting and some spraying going on. Infestations that required control were localized with hotspot areas being discovered as scouting continued. Field by field scouting was a necessity to avoid unnecessary applications. More spraying is expected in the upcoming week.
Most spring cereal fields ranged from heading/anthesis to the early milk stage although some very late seeded crops are still in five leaf stage. Across the region, herbicide applications on cereals were complete. Flag leaf fungicide applications were also complete. Fusarium head blight applications continued throughout the region.There is some urgency for those choosing to spray for fusarium head blight as crops are advancing rapidly and growers do not want to miss the narrow spray window. Given the wide range of planting dates and uneven emergence , there are areas of the region that are 90 per cent complete for fungicide applications and other areas that have just started but need to make rapid progress over the coming week. Overall, cereal crops remain in good condition except for some of the later seeded fields that struggled with uneven emergence and remain thin and stagey. Armyworms above economic threshold levels have been found in some spring cereal fields and insecticide applications have occurred. Some in crop spraying for control of grasshoppers as well as spraying of field headlands or outside rounds has occurred. Field by field scouting continues and more spraying is expected.
Corn growth stage ranged from V7 to the V9 leaf stage for the earliest seeded fields. Across the region, herbicide applications were complete as the corn advanced out of stage. The crop remains in good to excellent condition and demonstrated rapid growth in the warm weather. Waist and even chest high fields were easily found before the fourth of July.
Sunflower fields moved into the R1 and R2 (early bud) growth stages over the past week with the crop demonstrating rapid growth and good to excellent condition. Herbicide applications are complete. Scouting for insects resumed with the arrival of reproductive growth stages.
Most of the canola crop in the region ranged from bolting to 50-60 per cent flowering on the earliest seeded fields. In lower rainfall areas, growers remained concerned about uneven and stagey canola stands that are proving difficult to manage in terms of fungicide timing. Overall crop condition ranged from fair to good with herbicide applications complete. Given the past hot and dry conditions, a significant number of producers remain undecided on fungicide application and continue to monitor the weather forecast. For those choosing to apply fungicides, spraying on the earlier seeded crop continued as it came into stage.
Given the range in seeding dates and stagey nature of the crop this year, there are areas in the region where fungicide applications are up to 40 per cent complete and other areas where applications are just beginning.
Overall, flax crops moved to growth stage 6 (buds visible) and plants in growth stage 7 (first flower) could be found in fields. Herbicide applications were complete. The crop remains in good condition.
Soybean growth stage ranged from second trifoliate on very late seeded fields to R1 and R2 stage on most fields. Crop growth and development continued to be rapid in the warm weather. Herbicide applications are complete. Overall crop condition remained good on most fields with the exception of some later seeded crop that remains stagey and thin due to poor topsoil moisture conditions at seeding time. Some reports of armyworms moving into soybean fields from adjacent cereal and grass forage seed fields. However, plant defoliation levels remain low and monitoring continues.
Field pea crops continued to flower last week and move into the R3 (flat pod) growth stage. Producers and agronomists continued assessing the need for fungicide applications as field peas continued to advance rapidly in the warm temperatures and relatively dry conditions. Thus far, a very low presence of disease in the lower crop canopy has been found. Some fungicide applications did occur but other growers are waiting on the weather to see if more disease conducive conditions develop. The crop remained in good to excellent condition but growers were concerned about adequate soil moisture supply for the crop going forward.
Interlake
Crops are generally looking good with the past week’s showers. High temperatures and good moisture have allowed for fast crop growth. Rainfall continues to be variable with scattered thundershowers in the Interlake region. Northern areas receiving the highest amounts of 30 to 40 mm include Poplarfield, Moosehorn and Fisher. Scattered showers for much of the region were in the 10 to 20 mm range in most part of the South Interlake region. Much of the region currently reports good soil moisture levels, although some areas remain very dry, and a few isolated areas that need time to dry up after recent heavy rains.
Spring wheat and barley are fully headed and flowering and the cooler weather forecast for this week will certainly help the crop to fill. Oats fields are begining to see fully emerged panicles.
Canola stands in the region are variable with some fields looking good with even stands. Others are thin and stagey due to a number of earlier stresses including flea beetle damage and poor germination in dry conditions. The early seeded fields are between 30 to 50 per cent bloom.
Heat and moisture has been great for both grain and silage corn; all areas report rapid growth. Most of the crop looks better as compared to some past years. Colour is becoming normal and most fields have a nice dark green colour. Crops are generally shorter than normal.
There are reports of armyworms in a number of fields including perennial ryegrass, fescue and timothy, requiring insecticide treatment. Producers continue to monitor for armyworms daily and cereal crops are being sprayed. Increasing numbers of grasshopper hotspots are being reported in some areas and fields are being monitored carefully. Still seeing some grasshoppers and numbers are increasing but still not at the spray threshold yet in the South Interlake.
Applications for fusarium head blight timing in wheat continues. Most fields will be sprayed and over half of the acres are complete to date. The remainder will be completed by early next week. Fungicide treatment is now ongoing in canola but thinner crop stands, stagey stands and moisture levels inadequate for disease growth will regulate fungicide application.
