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Winnipeg Free Press

Provincial seeding progress ahead of 5-year average despite rain delay

Opinion It was common to see quads and ATVs temporarily replacing seeding equipment on many fields across southern Manitoba after heavy rains over the Victoria Day weekend. Driving across farm fields with these types of recreational vehicles is usually discouraged because of the ruts they make and the damage they cause to a growing crop. But these operators were making tracks on purpose as they crisscrossed the field connecting puddled low spots to get the water moving towards drainage ditches. In a lot of cases however, the exercise was arguably more about using up anxious energy and having something to do while being sidelined from seeding operations for up to six days. TIM SMITH / BRANDON SUN Farm land along Grand Valley Road in the Assiniboine River valley, west of Brandon. From one day to the next, the pools of water largely disappeared into the thirsty fields on their own. Those rains were a godsend, bringing provincial averages for precipitation this far into the growing season to normal or above in a few short days. But like everything with the weather these days, there was a wide variation in how much fell across different regions. The province's weekly crop report says the Morden area was the wettest over the stormy weekend, having received 88.5 millimetres. Less than an hour's drive west, however, Pilot Mound received only 21.1 mm. Overall, since May 1, southwestern Manitoba and central regions have now received 150 per cent of normal, based on the 30-year-average. Eastern Manitoba remains abnormally dry, as evidenced by the continued threat from wildfires. The area around Elma, for example, received only 3.2 mm. The province says the eastern region and many areas of the Interlake have received accumulations that are less than 70 per cent of normal. Extension staff on the province's weekly webinar also discussed the wacky temperatures so far this spring. The Petersfield weather station recorded a scorching 37.9 C on May 7, making it the provincial hot spot. Arborg saw the biggest daily swing in temperature range, going from a high of 30 C to a low of 0.2 C, but many areas saw variations almost as extreme. As of May 19, parts of southwestern Manitoba had already experienced six days of temperatures above 30 C. The long-range forecast is for hotter-than-average temperatures over the next month. Yet night-time lows across the province this week were still dipping into the risk-of-frost zone. The province has recently updated data showing the average dates of last spring frosts and the first frost of the fall, which is a measure of the growing season's length. Even though this week's night-time lows flirted with frost, agricultural meteorologist Alison Sass says the longer-term trends indicate the growing season is expanding. As beneficial as a longer frost-free season might be for yield potential and types of crops farmers here can grow, it their operating windows for getting crucial jobs done appear anecdotally at least, to be getting narrower. Weekday Evenings Today's must-read stories and a roundup of the day's headlines, delivered every evening. Extension staff are also monitoring wind speeds, tracking the number of weather stations showing days when winds exceed 50 kilometres per hour, which affects field operations generally but typically puts a kibosh onto any efforts to spray weeds. Gusts have topped 96 km/h in some areas, which is strong enough to move soil. Despite the setbacks due to rain and occasionally wind, Manitoba farmers are past the halfway mark of getting this year's crop planted, with provincial seeding progress ranked at 57 per cent complete as of this week's crop report on May 19. That's well ahead of the five-year average of 45 per cent for the same period. Observers have noticed wheat popping out of the ground has an unusually yellow tinge, which could be evidence the emerging crops are feeling hot-cold flashes and excessively wet conditions. It's too to say whether yields will be affected. Under the right conditions, crops have a remarkable ability to grow through early stress. It all makes you wonder, though, whether we will have to modify how we use 'normal' and 'average' in comparison to changing conditions that are anything but as we yo-yo between extremes. Laura Rance is executive editor, production content lead for Glacier FarmMedia. She can be reached at lrance@ Laura RanceColumnist Laura Rance is editorial director at Farm Business Communications. Read full biography Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.