Farmscape for September 1, 2009   (Episode 3284)

The Canadian Wheat Board estimates another week to two weeks of frost free weather will be needed to allow this year's spring seeded cereal crops to reach full maturity.

The 2009 growing season has been characterized by abnormally cool temperatures which have slowed crop development.

Canadian Wheat Board weather and market analysis director Bruce Burnett reports above average temperatures over the past week have helped get the harvest of the spring planted wheats and barleys underway in parts of the southern grainbelt.

Clip-Bruce Burnett-Canadian Wheat Board:
Certainly a lot of the areas are still delayed by the cool conditions.

We have delays probably about two to three weeks behind normal.

Normally a lot of the southern areas would be starting combine activity in the middle or beginning of August and it's now the end of August and we're just seeing things starting to go.

So we do need, especially in some of the northern and central areas of Manitoba, at least a couple of weeks here of good frost free weather in order to get the crops mature and start the harvesting process in a general manner at least anyway.

For the most part most of the activity to date has been south of number one highway in the southwestern and south central parts of Manitoba.

Burnett notes the winter wheat harvest has been underway for the past couple of weeks and quality has been hampered in areas that received heavy rains earlier in August.

He says, for the most part, the spring planted cereal yields look positive and quality has been good but we'll need another week and in some cases two weeks of frost free weather to avoid downgrading due to a frost.

For Farmscape.Ca, I'm Bruce Cochrane.

       *Farmscape is a presentation of Sask Pork and Manitoba Pork Council