MarketsFarm — Edible bean crops in Manitoba remain in generally good shape in mid-July, with early indications pointing to solid production on the year.
“Overall, they look pretty good,” said Dennis Lange, provincial pulse specialist with Manitoba Agriculture, on the state of dry edible bean crops.
The crops had struggled with wind damage early on in the growing season, while recent heavy rains could lead to some drown-outs, according to Lange. However, moisture conditions have been good overall, with a decent canopy.
Lange said some growers were getting started with fungicide applications on pinto beans for white mould.
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Manitoba farmers seeded 159,100 acres of edible beans in 2020, according to the latest Statistics Canada data. That would be down slightly from the 168,300 seeded the previous year, but still well above the early StatsCan estimate of only 109,100 acres.
Lange said contract prices were attractive, which kept farmers interested in planting the crop.
Soybeans in the province were also in good shape, Lange reported, although he said there were some reported cases of iron deficiency depending on the variety.
Soybean area in Manitoba was down by about 22 per cent on the year, at roughly 1.1 million acres, according to Statistics Canada data.
— Phil Franz-Warkentin reports for MarketsFarm from Winnipeg.
