With the rain last week and the heat we are currently experiencing- the crops are really starting to advance. We had some frost again early last week which did do some minor damage to canola, but nothing significant. Overnight lows in the minus 3C range and daytime highs in the mid to upper teens at the start of the week limited crop growth, but with highs in the mid 20’s over the weekend they are now growing rapidly.
Forecast for this week is for very high temperatures – low 30’s to mid 30’s by the end of the week. We are very fortunate to have received that rain event last week – the root zone is still moist and will keep the crops progressing without stress. We will need more rain by early to mid next week…
With the cooler temperatures, we never had much for any pest concerns. Flea beetles are the major pest this time of year – and they are more active in warmer conditions. With the heat over the weekend, we are starting to see higher levels of feeding by these flea beetles, especially the striped flea beetles, which do more damage and feed on the stem, which can be harder to scout. We have both sprayers going on first pass herbicide in our canola and have been tank mixing insecticide to keep the flea beetle levels down.
With the dryer weather environment, we are currently experiencing – low humidity – temperature extremes will be more likely through the season until the current cycle breaks.
Other than spraying, we have also started our summer grain hauling project – which will keep a couple of trucks steady throughout until August. We have also started to go through the air drills and get them fixed up and ready for next season. Always nice to do the maintenance right after seeding so we get everything repaired that needed to be done and also while we have time, rather than scrambling in late April when it’s cooler outside.
