Warm weather is helping to advance crops in the southeast, although many are behind normal development by as much as two weeks. There are reports of some canola being swathed and some pulses being desiccated.
Warm weather is helping to advance crops in the southeast, although many are behind normal development by as much as two weeks. There are reports of some canola being swathed and some pulses being desiccated. Some winter wheat and fall rye crops have been combined as well.
Haying continues at a slower-than-normal pace, although many producers are indicating that haying will be done soon if warm and dry weather continues. Frequent showers and heavy dew in the morning have extended drying time and delayed baling.
Creelman area producer, Marcel Van Staveren, is looking forward to a reasonably comfortable harvest and plans to start swathing this week.
"The winter wheat is ready to go and I'll hopefully be swathing that soon. Earlier this month I did a final spray for weed control and desiccation which helped the winter wheat come around," said Van Staveren.
He and his brothers also grow spring wheat, canola, and soybeans, all of which are still green and require more time to mature before they can be swathed.
"The spring wheat is looking good and I hope to desiccate it in the next while. It will hopefully be ready to straight cut by the beginning of September, should the weather permit," said Van Staveren.
According to Van Staveren, his canola crop is somewhat behind. The crop was seeded late this year due to the early wet weather, consequently delaying the crop's maturation.
Currently, Van Staveren's canola is finishing flowering and is expected be swath ready in early September.
Van Staveren said that his soybean crops are progressing normally and they should be harvest-ready by October.
"Overall, the canola is looking average at best while the cereals and beans are looking quite good. Ideally, I'd like the weather for the remainder of the season to be warm and dry, partly to help with crop maturation and partly to minimize any existing damage to crops," said Van Staveren.
Cedoux area producer, Dean Nikolejsin, started swathing his canola crop on the weekend, stating that there was more drowning than he had expected but the crop on the high ground still looked good.
On the weekend, Nikolejsin received approximately an inch and a half of rain, bringing a delay to his swathing operations. Although the rain was unwelcome, Nikolejsin is now taking the opportunity to finish work around the yard before harvest is in full swing.
"Right now I'm busy hauling grain, making room in the bins before harvest gets underway. It's also a good time to go check the machinery and make sure everything is running good before I start combining next week. As for the weather, we really don't need any more rain; it would be best if things stay warm and dry for harvest," said Nikolejsin.
