It's the last full week of April which means many farmers are getting ready to go into the fields and start seeding.
Based on Manitoba Agriculture information, soils are on the cooler end of where they would typically want to seed in the Parkland.
If the warm weather keeps up, Anastasia Kubinec with Manitoba Agriculture, says the soil will be warm enough for the early seeding crops like wheat and barley.
“A soil moisture situation may be a bit different. There was some areas with some very heavy snowfall over the winter. So that could be the limiting factor where equipment actually can’t travel on the field yet. Just because it is too soft to bear the weight of that equipment.”
For farmers wanting to get out there, Kubinec says it's all a crop by crop and field by field decision.
“If producers are wanting to seed early the field is ready, the soil is warm enough the germination is probably going to occur then the risk is probably lower and if they feel that it’s ready it’s ready.”
There are some farmers she's talked to in the Parkland that are ready to go.
“There are some areas where actually they could go. The soil is dry or they didn’t get the same amount of snow as some other parts of the Parkland did. They feel that they are pretty close to getting going, which did surprise me.”
When it gets into sensitive crops, Kubinec says seeding the last week of April does carry a certain amount of risk. Some of the pros to seeding early you can get your crop in early and when it's flowering it won't be too hot or dry.
One negative she notes is there are greater risks of frost. Impacts of freezing temperatures will depend on the temperature, the length of time sub-zero temperatures occur, the soil moisture levels, the plant residue levels, and the plant's growth stage. Manitoba Agriculture also says different crops also have varying tolerance levels to freezing temperatures, that usually dependent on crop stage.
Kubinec says Manitoba Agriculture's web site offers a lot of information farmers can use to help make their seeding decisions.
