Manitoba’s farmers won’t be getting a lot of sleep over the next few weeks, as the harvest is now in full swing.
And while the province is only collectively around 15 per cent done so far, producers are reporting positive initial results.
“We’re seeing higher levels of protein in spring wheat crops,” says Dane Froese of Manitoba Agriculture. “Fields were drier to finish off the season, so that tends to bump up the protein numbers. Yields tend to be a little less, so that’s somewhat disappointing in the spring wheat.”
Cereals are up first on the list for a lot of other Manitoba farmers, and when it comes to barley and oats, Froese says it’s looking pretty good across the province.
“We’re seeing really good yields there, average to above average, with good quality so far. Canola is just getting started; we don’t have too many quality indicators right now, but yields seem to be on par for average.”
It comes after a summer that saw more wacky weather than even Manitoba farmers know to expect — with some areas of the province getting a lot more rain than others.
That wasn’t more evident than in the southeastern portion of the province, which saw more than a season’s worth of rain in just a few days back in June.
Froese says expectations are a bit lower in that corner of Manitoba, but not all hopes are doused.
“That’s not to say certain farmers can’t pull off 60, 70 bushels — while others might be lucky to get 25, 30. It really depends where that rain fell.”
And as always, farmers will have their eyes on the sky over the next few weeks as weather can still play a big role in the outcome of the harvest.
“Mother Nature always has the final card in this game we play,” says Bill Campbell of the Keystone Agricultural Producers. “Sometimes she treats us all right and we’re able to get our crops off in good condition, and have a good production year. That’s what we deal with.”
Campbell cites last Thanksgiving’s record-breaking snowstorm as a cause for concern, as many producers had whatever was left in their fields flattened by the sheer volume of snow.
But his area in Westman saw drier conditions than some might have hoped for this season — and he says he and his neighbours were saved in part thanks to the excess moisture left in the soil from the storm that froze over the winter.’
It has also been a consistently windy year — one of the worst on record.
That posed big problems when spraying fields, and it could have an effect on yields when they’re coming off.
Aside from the weather, producers will also be keeping an eye on the market — one that’s been pretty favourable for farmers thanks to COVID-19.
“Farmers are producers, but production is only half of the equation. Price is the other part — it dictates how much revenue we make. We need to have both components to have a prosperous year,” Campbell adds.
When it comes to getting a few winks at night, it’s something most farmers will have to go without for the next couple of weeks.
“We have one opportunity to get our crops off at the most beneficial stage. We get paid for what we do this time of year — so we strive very hard to get our crop in the bins.”