Harvest in Manitoba is sitting at 98% complete — well ahead of the yearly average.
Manitoba Agriculture has released their final Crop Report of the season, providing a summary of the 2020 crop year.
Crop Yields
The yearly summary shows crop yields have been average for most cereals and canola, and disappointing to farmers in some areas, though average to slightly better than average in others.
Yields for later season crops like soybeans, corn, and sunflowers have been a pleasant surprise, given a dry August and September.
Sunflower yields in particular are expected to be near-record average highs.
Weather
Most parts of agro-Manitoba were between 70 to 80% of normal precipitation for the season, though certain districts experienced more or less, particularly where intense thunderstorms left flooded fields north of Brandon and the extreme southeast of the province.
Insects
Widespread insect issues caused grower concerns with flea beetles in canola, cutworms in several crops and grasshoppers nearly ubiquitous across Manitoba. Insecticide applications were made on a case-by-case basis as populations varied greatly, together with beneficial species presence
Livestock Feed
Livestock feed supply has been a challenge this year, because of three consecutively dry summers, depending on locale. Forage yields have generally been 33 to 66% of normal, causing cattle producers to look at alternative feed sources, such as baling non-conventional crop residue and increased greenfeed silage.
For more information on the 2020 crop summary from Manitoba Agriculture — including full reports broken down by region — click here.
