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Crossroads This week
F rida y, June 5, 2 0 2 6 | Vo lum e 23 N um b e r42 | $1.25 PER COPY ( plus ta x e s)
SERVIN G BIRTLE, HAM IOTA, ROSSBURN , RUSSELL, SHOAL LAK E & SURROUN D IN G REGION
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DAR R E L L N E SBIT T / CR O SSR O ADS T H IS W E E K Beating the heat forecasted for late in the day, numerous farmers were spotted working with various pieces of farm equipment in the early morning of Friday, May 29, including this seeding outfit getting the job done in the Newdale area. Farmers have made strong seeding progress over the past week, reaching 55 percent complete provincially.
Seed ing season has b een a m ixed b ag R ecen t ra in fa lls ha ve broughtm uch of the region ba ck closer to n orm a l m oisture levels for this tim e of yea r RAC HEAL FLIN TO FT Cro ssro a d s This W e e k
Producers across western Manitoba are heading into June in decent shape, even as much of the province has struggled to keep pace with a slow and difficult spring planting season. According to Manitoba Agriculture’s crop report last week, most
areas including Erickson, Minnedosa, Russell, and Rossburn, received good amounts of rain and are close to normal moisture levels for this time of year. Spring wheat and barley seeding were approximately 75 percent complete, with areas north of Highway 16 showing the greatest progress. That’s a brighter picture than the province overall. Manitoba-
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wide, spring planting reached only 55 percent complete as of May 30 points behind where farmers were a year ago and 13 points back of the five-year average. The season got off to a rough start across the board. Cool, windy conditions made seeding difficult in the southwest early on, with strong winds causing soil movement in several fields. By mid-
May, winds between 100 and 115 km/h were reported in some areas, forcing producers out of the field entirely. In many areas, saturated fields and standing water from rain and snow kept equipment sidelined well into the month. Canola seeding across the region – including areas around Birtle, Hamiota, and Strathclair, were only about five percent com-
plete as of late May, with many producers holding off to prioritize soybeans ahead of their seeding deadline. Winter wheat and fall rye performed better, coming through in mostly good condition across the region, though some winterkill was reported in isolated areas.
SEE F AR M E R S , PAGE 2