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The Weekly Manitoba Crop Report wraps up the year with a 95% complete harvest across the province.

As the last of the corn and sunflowers are collected, and post-harvest work is wrapping up, we can take a look back on the growing season.

A few items of note include the cooler start, the intense rains bringing 200% of normal moisture, and the noted spread of Waterhemp into new areas.

Throughout the season, moisture conditions mostly averaged out but still exceeded 100% of normal precipitation. This was paired with between 105%-115% of the average growing degree days too.

Waterhemp was identified for the first time in the rural municipalities of Macdonald, North Norfolk, Roland, Stanley, and Westlake-Gladstone. 

With most of the crops off the field, we now have firm assessments of both yield and quality.

Winter wheat yields ranged from 60 to 90 bu/acre with fall rye yields ranging from 80 to 110 bu/acre with good quality for both crops.

Spring wheat yields ranged from 60 to 95 bu/acre. The quality of spring wheat in all regions is good with protein levels in the 13.5 to 15% range.

Barley yields averaged between 80 to 120 bu/acre, with some exceptions and Quality was good. Oat yields were overall good too this year reporting 110-180 bu/acre. Test weights in oats ranged between 37 to 44 lbs/bushel.

Corn yields ranged from 120 to 180 bu/acre with averages around 150 to 180 bu/acre, but is still not finished.

Canola yields were variable across the province ranging from 25 to 65 bu/acre. This was due to high moisture and humidity creating prime conditions for Verticillium, Sclerotinia, and black leg.

 The majority of canola has graded at 1CAN with reports of dockage due to small/light seeds.

For Pulses and Soybeans, Most regions reported average pea yields in 2024 ranging from 40 to 60 bu/acre, and strong yields for Soybeans this year ranging from 34 to 65 bu/acre. 

Dry bean yields ranged from 500 to 3000 lbs/acre. The provincial average for 2024 is expected to be slightly higher than the 5-year provincial average of 1700 lbs per acre.

In the realms of Forage and Livestock, the moisture led to some excellent pasture growth, but also issues with flies and foot rot in lower-lying areas. 

Calves came off pasture in good condition. Tame hay yields were good, yielding approximately 3 tonnes/acre. However, rain showers and heavy morning dews made drying difficult. Many farms therefore chose to convert hay to round bale silage.

Sufficient amount of feed for the upcoming winter with many farms reporting a surplus of hay and silage. It is likely that feed made at the beginning of the season will be lower in quality given the incredibly wet weather experienced at that time.

Looking at the Northwest specifically, the rain seemed more a curse than a blessing at times.

The Dauphin area dealt with up to 200% of the normal rainfall, and fields became waterlogged, making seeding a challenge. Cool, wet conditions stalled seeding progress mostly in The Pas and the Dauphin/Fork River areas.

Dauphin/Ste. Rose area received a late snowstorm on May 24 which also set things back. By early July, the RM of Mossey River declared a state of agricultural disaster due to excess moisture.

Mid-July brought some heat, and proper GGD, but also a severe wind storm that lodged wheat and canola crops. The lodging caused delays in maturity that remained apparent up to the harvest period.

High temperatures in August helped to move crops along, bringing field peas to maturity by mid-August. Spring wheat and canola were quick to follow, depending on the seeding date.

A long, open fall has allowed later-maturing fields and many post-harvest activities to be completed, including baling of straw, harrowing, and herbicide and anhydrous application.

Warmer weather in September and October provided good conditions for the germination of winter cereals, although soil moisture is generally low.

Seeded winter cereal acres have increased this year and are off to a good start.

Field pea harvest was completed with average yields ranging from 45 to 60 bu/acre. Some later seeded crops were a challenge and slow to harvest. The majority of field peas have graded at 2CAN.

Spring wheat is complete with widely variable yields. Average yields were 65 to 70 bu/acre, with some poorer fields yielding 20 to 40 bu/acre.

Oats averaged 110-120 bu/acre and barley 80-95 bu/acre. The majority of cereals have graded as 1CW with some lighter oats reported.

Canola is 98% complete with varied yields based on crop conditions throughout the season as well as disease pressure. Average yields ranged from 30 to 40 bu/acre, while poorer fields yielded 8 to 20 bu/acre.

A significant presence of verticillium stripe was evident this season. The majority of canola has graded at 1CAN with reports of dockage due to small/light seeds.

The soybean harvest is 99% complete and looked good across most of the region this year. Yields ranged from 35 to 50 bu/acre. The majority of soybeans have graded at 2CAN.

With this year's harvest all but wrapped up, I'd like to send a heartfelt thank you to all the producers who have weathered the year to put food on the tables of the world.

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Dauphin Rotary hosts a total of four active living events throughout the course of the year.

The very popular Riding Mountain National Park marathon and Epic East Gate races take place every September, while the Moose Knuckle Aventure race is held every second year, also in the fall.

The final race is the Manitoba Snowshoe race, which goes every Louis Riel Day weekend in February.

Organizer Bryan Beyers says after holding that in Clear Lake the last two years, they are returning to a familiar location for 2025.

"We are actually going to bring it back to Northgate in 2025.  Just because we received a lot of requests to bring it back and it is definitely a lot easier on us and the other volunteers to just hold it here in Dauphin.  It is a great facility and it just feels like the right thing to do to bring it back to Northgate."

Proceeds from all four of these events go to Rotary's Active Living Fund.

More information on these events can be found online at racermnp.ca or by visiting Dauphin Rotary's Facebook page. 

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Residents of Laurier can expect to be without water service for a period of time on Friday.

Ste Rose Municipality announcing that the water will be turned off in Laurier beginning at 8 am Friday morning.

This will allow for water line repairs to take place along Main Street in that community.

No timeline has been given for how long the repairs will take to be completed. 

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The second time was the charm for Kaycelyn Rosales-Knight and Countryside Studio and Gym.

The Hamiota-based business was selected as the winner of this year's Fusion Credit Union Community Infusion contest.

Rosales-Knight applied for the contest last year but failed to make it to the final.

"In 2023, when I first applied, I did not have the building and I did not have concrete numbers because I did not know where it was going.  This year, we have the building, and I was able to give concrete numbers and concrete estimates, and I feel like I had a better foundation this year than I had  last year."

This year, she won the top prize of $20,000.

A total of five businesses pitched their plans to judges during Wednesday night's final in Dauphin.

Fusion Credit Union CEO Darwin Johns was very impressed with how this year's event went.

"The quality of applicants has always been amazing, as you can see from the application videos right to information from the business plans and then the final presentations (Wednesday) evening, it was just phenomenal.  It is always inspirational to see the businesses we have in our communities."

Friendly Grocery Co-op finished second and won $4,000 towards their plans to move to a new location in the former Inglis Curling rink. 

The other three finalists - which included Multi-Food, Systems Beauty College, and Parkland Radon Testing and Mitigation - took home $2,000 each. 

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A by-election to fill four vacancies on Mountainview School Division's board of trustees is set for Wednesday, October 30th.

But residents hoping to get a head start on the voting process can do so today (Thursday).

Advanced voting for all three wards is taking place until 8 pm tonight at the Dauphin Friendship Centre. 

Voters in Ward one - the Roblin area - are electing for two positions on the board, with three people running.

And in both Ward two - which is the Gilbert Plains, Grandview, and Ethelbert area, and Ward four - which is the City of Dauphin, only one position needs to be filled in both wards, with three people running in each ward.

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A Manitoba court has ordered the seizure of a former Gilbert Plains chief administrative officer's wages after the western Manitoba municipality filed a lawsuit accusing her of stealing over a half a million dollars, then faking a cyberattack to cover her tracks.

Former Gilbert Plains CAO Amber Fisher will see wage garnishment of nearly $550,000, and the municipality of Gilbert Plains launched a lawsuit.

The seizure of Fisher's wages comes after a default judgment was made against her when she didn't file any defence in the civil lawsuit.

However, recent court documents show Fisher hadn't made any more payments to the municipality as of Sept. 27.

The municipality said in its lawsuit that Fisher had breached her contract through "criminal, fraudulent, and unlawful conduct," alleging she made 33 transfers, totalling about $515,000, from the municipality's bank account to her own from September 2020 to July 2021.

Gilbert Plains also accused Fisher of falsifying bank statements to hide the transfers, giving councillors illegitimate reports that cleared her of fraud, and making up a story that she had been the victim of a cyberattack.

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The first two stages are complete, and the Provincial Government has announced they have entered Stage three of their search of the Prairie Green landfill.

This five stage plan aims to find the remains of Morgan Harris and Marcedes Myran, with stage 3 marking the beginning of excavation.

Stage one and two focused on planning, assessment, and construction of on-site facilities, and stage three begins to strip away materials above the targeted zone a the land fill.

Stage three will also expand recruitment for later stage manual searches to identify the target depth.

Premier Wab Kinew made a resounding remark as part of this announcement, noting that “This is about doing the right thing and sending a message to all Manitobans that you matter and deserve dignity. When someone goes missing, we go looking.”

He also noted that stage 4 is well on track to begin for late fall.

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One of the tastiest events hosted yearly by the Dauphin Rotary Club is their annual Lobsterfest celebration.

After being held in larger venues such as the Selo Hall and Rotary Arena, the event was held this past June at Obsolete Brewing Company.

Co-organizer Kara Vanderheyden says having it in a more intimate setting had its positives.

"I think it was nicer having people in closer quarters in a sense that it really encouraged more community within our attendees with more people getting to know each other and getting to know people that they had not met before.  It also allowed us to offer different foods as well."

Organizers collaborated with Dusty's Meat Shop to offer other meat options during this year's Lobsterfest.

Fellow organizer Lindsay Dingwall says the event is more than just great food. 

"We have a 50/50, and a raffle with items donated by community members.  And then there is entertainment.  We had Kates Outlaw perform (this past year) and they were fabulous, and we were grateful to have them."

Preparations for the 2025 edition of Lobsterfest will begin early in the new year.

You can keep an eye on Dauphin Rotary's Social media outlets for details on the date and location for Lobsterfest.

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Court proceedings continue to drag along for an Ethelbert man.

54-year-old Marc Dorais was arrested following a June 1st house fire in the community, when someone set a home on fire from the outside while a woman and three children were still inside.

Dorais faces charges that include Arson with Disregard for Human Life, and has been remanded back into custody until his next appearance on November 25th in Winnipeg. 

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Residents in Neepawa are encouraged to attend an information meeting Thursday night regarding the new Neepawa Health Center. 

It will be highlighted by a formal presdentation, updating the current progress made in costruction of the new hospital for the community.

That facility, which when completed will be around four times the size of the current hospital, is slated to begin accepting patients in late 2026 or early 2027.

The information session - which will also inlude a question and answer session - takes place from 5 - 6 pm Thursday night at the Roxy Theatre in Neepawa. 

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Normand Gagne took home the $100,000 prize in 2023 while Walter Kochalyk took the grand prize in 2022.

2024 only has a few more months left in it and you could be the grand prize winner this year as the Dauphin Kings Tractor Lotto is officially back. 

"It's an exciting time of the year, it's a staple in the community of Dauphin and around the Parkland," said Christian Laughland, Director of Business Operations. "It's always nice to get the Tractor Lotto going and it's great to give out a ton of money and prizes when it wraps up."

On top of the team's Grow Project which recently wrapped up for the year, the Tractor Lotto serves as a major fundraiser.

"When you talk about inflation and everything going up in cost, it's more important than ever," added Laughland. "It usually raises in and around $100,000 each year, give or take."

Prize Breakdown:
10 draws - $1,000
2 draws - $2,500
2 draws - $5,000
1 draw - $10,000
1 draw - $100,000
2 draws - 2025 John Deere Z320M Zero Turn Mowers up for grabs. The MSRP on one is $5,500. 

There will also be a 50/50 draw with the winner taking home around $30,000, based on past years. 

Tickets for this year are now on sale. You can now purchase at Reit Syd Equipment in Dauphin, Fusion Credit Union branches in Dauphin, Gilbert Plains, Ethelbert, Winnipegosis & Rorketon, Home Hardware in Grandview as well as P&H Dutton!

Ticket Prices:
Single Main Draw - $100
Three-Pack Main Draw - $250
Single 50/50 Draw - $20
5-Pack 50/50 Draw - $50
Supplementary Draw - $20

You must order a lotto ticket or a supplementary draw ticket to add a 50/50 ticket to your order. You can witness each draw live on December 15 when the Kings welcome Swan Valley to town at 4:00 p.m. Darnell Duff will also be live on location around the community leading up to the draw date. 

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