Brandon, Man. — As this year’s CWB crop tour moves west through Manitoba, crops have started looking thinner as the area has been drier than in the eastern part of the province..
Canola around Killarney doesn’t look good compared to its eastern Manitoba counterparts. Canola in western Manitoba is still flowering. The later bloom is likely due to reseeding, say farmers on the tour.
One wheat crop around Boissevain looked better than others in the area, but signs of fusarium head blight could be seen on some plants.
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Signs of chemical damage, likely from glyphosate, were also seen on the crops in the field as well, said Chris Birk, a farmer and tour guide with the CWB.
“Not enough to kill it but enough to make it sick,” Birk says.
But good news for crops in the area as a light rain started coming down on Tuesday, which will help out the crops.
The CWB crop tour will leave Brandon and moving toward Saskatchewan on Wednesday.
Similar CWB-run tours are taking place in Alberta and Saskatchewan. All groups will be meeting for a conference in Regina on Friday to discuss the western Canadian crop.
