Manitoba Agriculture reports hot weather over the past week has given the longer season crops a nice boost.

Manitoba Agriculture’s weekly crop report indicates this year’s harvest is now 40 percent complete, with fall rye and winter wheat at 99 percent complete, spring wheat at 68 percent, barley at 76 percent, oats at 73 percent, field peas at 98 percent and canola at 30 percent complete.

Dennis Lange, a pulse and soybean specialist with Manitoba Agriculture and editor of the provincial crop report, says crop quality has been generally good.

When we’re looking at cereals for example, we start off with the fall rye and winter wheat. Those yields range anywhere from 40 to 90 bushels in the northern Interlake and eastern regions and anywhere from 80 to 110 bushels for fall rye in the south, south Interlake and central regions.

Spring wheat harvest continues. We’re sitting right now with yields at 60 to 90 bushels an acre on spring wheat with an average of about 70 bushels an acre in the central region. Northern Interlake yields were a little lower, 25 to 55 bushels an acre but there have been some 70 bushels per acre yields being reported in south Interlake. Across the province there has been some downgrading of wheat to a number two with fusarium head blight and some bleaching issues but generally quality is still pretty good.

Oats yields anywhere from 80 to 180 bushels an acre with generally good bushel weights but there have been a few reports of light weight oats this year as well. Barley yields anywhere from 90 to 115 bushels an acre so yields have been pretty good there as well.

Canola harvest continues and we’re basically looking at no major yield reports at this point in time other than the 35 to 45 bushels an acre being reported in different regions around the province. But, harvest is moving pretty good and quality has been generally good overall.

~ Dennis Lange, Manitoba Agriculture

Lange says hot temperatures over the last week or so, in the 30-degree range, has really moved along some of the long season crops like soybeans. He says soybeans have turned a lot in the last week so, if this weather continues, it will really help mature some of the longer season crops.