Agronomist Notes

The majority of producers are on the tail end of spraying after last week’s excellent weather with light winds and warm overnight temperatures. Crop maturity has progressed nicely over the last seven days too and I think we may have gained a few days of maturity, though we’re still a touch behind last year. We’ve had another ½ to ¾’s of an inch of rain on the weekend, which has given crops a much needed boost. I’ve completed my initial field checks and have moved full swing into post-herbicide checks. All in all, crops have recovered nicely from the frosts but the canola will still be patchy and highly variable in yield potential.

Thanks to some keen clients, I had a chance to see the Farm Progress Show in Regina specifically to look at precision air drills. We stopped by a few farms to check out SeedMaster, Seed Hawk and the new Case 800 precision drills. We were looking at seed placement, residue clearance and field finish. It was a great trip.

In this issue, we’ll look at herbicide injury symptoms to help you with your post herbicide checks. Also, I’ll give you an update on the effects of Express SG on weeds during a rescue spray application on wheat at the one leaf stage. Next, we’ll look at some interesting information on inter-row seeding and see what a no-brainer adopting this technology is. Next, I’ll describe the precision drills on the market today and give my two cents worth on each. Finally, Bruce Love will give us a carbon market update. Of course, we’ll finish with technical, fundamental crop and weather news with updates from producers around the globe.    

Crop Staging Area (Calgary to Drumheller to Three Hills as of June 23, 2009)

Seeded	April 23-31	May 1-7	May 8-15
Wheat	1st node	6-leaf, 2 tiller	5-leaf, 2 tiller
Canola	bolting	bud-stage	6-leaf
Barley	1st node	6-leaf, 3 tiller	5-leaf, 2 tiller
Peas	12th node	10th node	8th node

This Week in Scouting

• Continue 10 to 14 day post-herbicide application checks to analyze herbicide efficacy.
• Begin monitoring for leaf diseases in wheat, barley and peas.
• Break out your sweep net; cabbage seedpod weevils do the most damage in early-flowering canola.
• Fungicide applications could be just around the corner.

It’s time to check post-herbicide efficacies

The most important role of a farmer or crop advisor during spray season is not only to apply the correct herbicides at the right time but to follow up with post-herbicide checks. Follow up efficacy checks should be done 10 to 14 days after application. More wild oat or other weed escapes could be addressed if producers and crop advisors checked how well the herbicides worked after application. Calling the chemical representatives at harvest to tell them the herbicide didn’t work is futile, especially since inquiry cut off dates are usually around the 15th of July.

Below is a list of herbicide injury symptoms for the top six herbicide groups I use to help you identify herbicide injury and efficacy.

Group 1: ACCase: Axial, Achieve Liquid, Horizon, Puma Super, Centurion
Symptoms: The first sign of injury on wild oats or green foxtail may appear as intervenal chlorosis or yellow striping on newer leaves. Older leaves may show red or purple. The growing point turns brown and dies. The newest leaf can be easily pulled from the crown where you will see a “pinching” at the base of the leaf. New growth dies first, such that the plant appears to take considerable time to die after application.

Group 2: ALS: Assert, Ally, Everest, Frontline XL, Refine SG, Odyssey
Symptoms: In broadleaf weeds the first visible symptom is the termination of plant growth. A few days after application you may see yellowing, reddening and purpling of the leaves. In grassy weeds like wild oats, you may see a yellow striping and purplish discoloration of the leaves. The youngest leaves die first followed by older leaves. Death of grassy weeds may take 1 to 3 weeks to occur.  

Group 4: Auxinic: 2,4-D, MCPA, Attain, Buctril M, Curtail M, Frontline XL, Target 
Symptoms: Bending and twisting of stems and petioles, stem swelling, especially at the nodes, elongation, leaf cupping and leaf curling. These signs are followed by yellowing at the growing point, growth inhibition and wilting. 

Group 6: Photosynthetic Inhibitors: Buctril M, Pardner, Thumper, Unity
Symptoms: Rapid yellowing and whitening begins at the leaf edges. Later symptoms include desiccation and a burned-off appearance of the leaves. Symptoms develop rapidly under full sunlight conditions.  

Group 9: EPSPS: Glyphosate: Roundup WeatherMax, Touchdown Total, Vantage PlusMax
Symptoms: Gradual wilting and yellowing at the growing point of the plant that advances into browning of above ground growth. Annuals may show signs within 2-4 days and perennials within 7-10 days. 

Group 10: Glutamine Synthetase Inhibitor: Liberty 150
Symptoms: Yellowing and wilting usually occur within one to three days after application, followed by necrosis or bleaching-death of plant tissue. Symptoms develop more rapidly under bright sunlight, high humidity and moist soil.   

Reference: How Herbicides Work, Alberta Ag publication

Express SG saves the day after two missed spray opportunities

I had a client who missed his opportunity to spray a pre-burn glyphosate this spring and decide to wait and do a post-seed spray application. Wouldn’t you know it, he missed the pre-emergent window as well and I was sent out at the one leaf stage in wheat to figure out what could be done. The safest option in my mind was Express SG, although some have used a light rate of Buctril M or MCPA successfully. Personally, I don’t like to risk the heads sticking in the boot with phenoxy-based products.  

The weed spectrum was huge with large narrow leaved hawksbeard, flixweed, dandelion, stinkweed, Canada thistle and buckwheat. I decided to apply Express SG at 6 grams/ac with .002% of Ag Surf surfactant. At my seven day post-herbicide check, I was pleasantly surprised by the results. You can see in the pictures the yellowing effect on the growing points of the hawksbeard, buckwheat, thistle and stinkweed.

I had to share this with you so the next time you find yourself in a bind and perfect spraying conditions aren’t happening, maybe you could call on Express SG. I think it’s a good fit for post seed, early crop emergence suppression of tougher broadleaf weeds with the benefit of added crop safety, provided you’re not targeting grasses, of course! SL

Inter-row seeding boosts wheat yields by 12%

I’ve been harping on about inter-row seeding for two years now and we finally have some research from the Ag Canada research station at Swift Current that’s showing great results. Trials have shown a 12% yield advantage in wheat when using inter-row seeding technology. Yield is only one of many benefits; I’ve previously written about weed suppression, fewer root diseases, crop emergence, seeding depth, maturity and sometimes protein to name a few.

We use a GPS light bar at home on our 40-foot Concord drill with 4-inch low draft GEN openers. We can still hit the inter-row probably 60 to 70% of the time without RTK guidance or auto steer. It seems the openers naturally want to fall in between the row where there is the least resistance. The picture on the top right is of a field of CDC Go wheat we seeded on May 10th. You can see how inter-row seeding can be done without a lot of difficulty. This crop was seeded into 60 bushel wheat stubble from last year with no trouble. 

The picture below is the same field which shows the difference in plant height. The two plants on the left were seeded into an area with flattened stubble compared to the plants on the right which were seeded inter-row into 10-inch standing stubble. You can see that all plants are at the 4 leaf stage yet the plants on the right are 3 to 4 inches taller. Plants naturally want to grow towards the light. Inter-row seeding provides the right environment for plants to grow tall and capture sunlight. The bigger and longer the leaves, the more sunlight they capture and more sugars they produce which translates into energy and carbohydrate production. Energy and carbohydrate production translates directly to yield.  

Other added benefits of inter-row seeding are lower draft load on the seeding tool, which can result in improved fuel efficiency and the ability to seed faster without plugging. Inter-row seeding creates a micro-climate for plants, providing shelter from wind and warming effect from black soil. You’ll see better stand establishment, improved seed to soil contact compared to seeding through stubble. Also, increased harvest ability and less losses in pulses. Crops such as lentils climb stubble rows which increases harvest efficiency from taller plants.

There are a number of dealers putting up RTK base stations with an annual subscription charge so you don’t have to buy an expensive RTK base station. Also, Roydale New Holland out of Red Deer has a new wireless RTK subscription in our area that allows you to get into RTK ready precision for less than $3,800, provided your GPS is RTK ready. If it isn’t, then it may cost you another $5,000. I have one client who has set up for inter-row seeding this year to begin seeing the benefits in 2010. I hope everyone will see this technology as a step above auto steer and take yields to the next level. SL 

Links to inter-row seeding articles:
http://www.grdc.com.au/director/events/groundcover?item_id=2A8CEE86D3B988926AF25FD9CF8E49D3&article_id=3969631E961AB67B6C80A2A07AF79615
http://www.fm500.com.au/PDFs/interrow%20sowing%20and%20autosteer%20brendan%20williams.pdf
http://www.alkalinesoils.com.au/TrialResults2005/iBenefitsofinterrowsowing2cmautosteer2005.pdf

Precision seeding tools on the market

The interest in precision seeding equipment has grown rapidly in Alberta over the last few years. What used to be the only precision drill on the market, the Conserva Pak, has paved the way for a number of precision seeding tools. I had the opportunity to look at several precision drills last week at the Farm Progress show and in the field. I believe precision drills will be common place for the top 30% of producers in the near future.

John Deere 1870 http://www.deere.com/servlet/ProdCatProduct?tM=FR&pNbr=1870XH: This drill comes with the Conserva Pak opener which boasts precise seed and fertilizer placement into minimal tillage disturbance. The hydraulic shanks provide consistent depth control for enhanced seed placement, resulting in more even emergence and more uniform crop at harvest. The openers are designed to allow independent down force for a more uniform depth across the width of the frame.

Opinion: I like the JD 1870 for its beefy frame and the option of a 1.5” opener that provides more seedbed utilization versus the rest of the precision drills on the market. It still has the twin shank side by side openers for seed and fertilizer, which have a tendency to catch residue if you’re less than 12 inch row spacing. I really like the GS 2 monitor for its simplicity and record keeping capabilities. The new 1910 air tanks now come with a liquid tank option that carries 600 gallons. Great idea for liquid starter fertilizers if you want to include zinc, calcium or copper plus any other magic dust you’d like to try. 

Bourgault 3310 PHD http://www.bourgault.com/phd/3310page1.htm: Benefits include superior seedbed integrity, faster seeding operation, greater emergence, and superior residue flow. The Bourgault 3310 incorporates a parallel link system for the seed opener to maintain a consistent tip angle in relation to the soil, regardless of its position. These opener assemblies move independently of each other, providing precision seed placement and consistent packing across the width of the unit. The openers are mounted on an edge-on style shank to minimize soil disturbance and throw, allowing a greater range of seeding speeds, while minimizing soil disturbance.

Opinion: Another well built machine with improved seeding depth placement in the draws with the Paralink design. Another excellent feature is the walking castor wheels. This would really smooth out the bumps and provide even better accuracy in fields with rough field finishes. I remember watching the castor wheels shake up and down over wheel tracks and seed placement was ½ an inch out in the wheel tracks. 

Seed Hawk http://www.seedhawk.com/opener.php: Seed Hawk’s unique opener design allows for individual depth gauging of both seed and fertilizer. The opener places the seed in the optimum position for access to fertilizer and moisture. Hydraulically controlled, a 4-inch wide packer wheel packs and seals the furrow to prevent moisture loss. The dual knife system ensures fertilizer is close enough to the seed to help with 'pop-up', but far enough away to avoid seedling damage. Precision nutrient placement means being available to the plant all through the growing season and less available to weeds.

Opinion: Seed Hawk is one of the most progressive and innovative companies with respect to precision drills today. The Seed Hawk is a better built machine than its brother the SeedMaster, in my opinion. Each opener has two steel shanks that run side by side to give it strength and limit side to side movement. They just came out with sectional control where each shank will stop the seed and fertilizer at the roller and lift the shank out of the ground completely when you begin to overlap. You can have 90% of your shanks lifted out of the ground as you finish the last pass or seed around those expensive sloughs. Think of the money saved in overlap around sloughs and last passes. Great idea!

Seedmaster Drill http://www.strawtrack.ca/default.aspx?page=28: Designed to optimize direct seeding by drilling seeds into standing stubble with accurately placed products at optimum locations. The benefit is rapid and uniform crop emergence, jumping ahead of the weeds.
Opinion: This drill is similar to the Seed Hawk and JD 1870 minus the beefed up shanks and frame. Also, the air tank is about 19-feet high and looks like a Valmar on steroids. However, the drill boasts the smart hitch which allows you to inter-row seed without the need for RTK guidance. 

Morris Contour Drill http://www.morris-industries.com/product.php?product_id=55: The independent contour opener features parallel linkage for ultra precise seed and fertilizer placement. Each opener moves independently of the frame and of each other to closely follow every contour of the land. Opener angle and opener depth remains constant throughout its range of travel. The Contour Drill delivers unsurpassed seed placement for quick, even germination and durability.

Opinion: I really like the option of having a 3-inch opener, which allows for greater seedbed utilization. The field finish is actually not bad for a precision drill compared to the others which are fairly rough. The one drawback of this machine is that it doesn’t handle tall residue, in fact anything over 8-inches tall will start to give you trouble. I’m not a fan of the Morris paired row openers but Dutch Industries makes a tip for it that seems to work well and penetrate the ground much better than the Morris. 

Case IH Precision 800 Drill http://pressroom.caseih.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=newsreleases.display: This drill comes with a patented parallel link row unit and angled, double-shoot knife opener, which is unique in the precision drill market. The Precision Hoe 800 delivers the precision seed and fertilizer placement with a single shank design that comes in 10 and 12-inch row spacing. 

Opinion: There are several features I like about this new drill. The first is the single shank design that provides better residue clearance compared to the dual shank designs. It also has a parallel link design which maintains the angle at which the double-shoot knife opener engages the ground. Last, for those who are forced to transport any distance, the narrow 17-foot, 8-inch transport width and transport height of just over 16 feet makes it the narrowest in its class. The field finish is a bit rough, but really no different than any other precision drill. 

More opinions: I was really impressed with the Seed Hawk’s innovative idea behind the sectional control. This technology could save producers a lot of money in over lap and I look forward to the other manufacturers catching on to this technology. I was impressed with the shorter length of each shank on the Case 800 vs. the rest. The shanks on most precision drills are almost 6 feet long from frame to packer. The shanks on the Case 800 are about 3 feet, which improves depth control on rolling topography, especially with the parallel link design. I also like the single shank, double-shoot opener because it provides better residue clearance compared to the dual shank systems and you don’t run the risk of shanks running over each other when turning sharply. Turning sharp on a dual shank opener can force the fertilizer shank to overlap the seed shank, which reduces seed to fertilizer separation.

If I were to build a precision drill, I would use the Case 800 fold back frame that has flex points front to back and side to side. I would improve on Case’s parallel link single shank opener system by designing a double shoot opener that with a little more seed spread, around 1.5 to 2 inches so I have more flexibility with starter fertilizers and allows me to pack more seeds per row. I would use the sectional control on the Seed Hawk to eliminate over lap and use the smart hitch from the Seed Master to give me inter-row seeding capabilities. I would add the JD 1910 air tank with a liquid tank option to start using more efficient forms of starter fertilizer along with other magic dust bio-stimulants we’re playing with right now. If I had to choose between them all, it would be a tossup between the JD 1870 and the Case 800. SL

Carbon Market News

So where do our offsets go from here?

June 22, 2009- Today the Alberta Government held its “Alberta Offset System Stakeholder Workshop” to look back at the first two compliance cycles and in particular the use of the greenhouse gas (GHG) offset credits as a compliance option. Included in the discussions was some speculation on where we may be headed in terms of both the Alberta offset system and the rest of the world. The result for us was an interesting dilemma over where do our offsets go from here. Some of the more interesting conclusions from the meeting included:

• The Board of the Tech Fund has been formed and is expected to place its first call for proposals late this summer. Tech Fund contributions included $43 million for the 2007 year and $83 million for the 2008 year. The hope for the Tech Fund is high, since the Province is betting on technology meeting the bulk of the needed GHG reductions, and not offset trading.
• Recognition that the current offset prices and targets will not meet the GHG reduction targets that are emerging both in the US and internationally. However, prices and targets can’t increase in Alberta until there is certainty that it will not place industry at a competitive disadvantage. In other words, offset prices and reduction targets will need to increase, just not sure when.
• Project verification standards are being examined for improvement. In particular, the Alberta offset system uses a “review” level of assurance today, but a higher standard commonly referred to as “reasonable” level assurance is being considered. This will require a more rigorous examination of the data and management systems used to create the GHG offset. This will significantly increase costs. However, this will also help position Alberta origin offsets for use in other compliance systems.

Now for the really interesting stuff. There was acceptance that a cap-and-trade system is coming. The United States (US) is moving quickly on its GHG reduction scheme, an international climate change treaty in Copenhagen is coming, and Alberta’s position isn’t good. So for anyone developing offset projects, the question now is really whether or not to develop projects in the Alberta system. While the proposed Federal system suggests that offsets may not be counted until 2011, there is the proviso that it depends on the US. It is our opinion that US offsets will start at least from 2006 forward (possibly earlier), so let’s consider that our start date in Canada. So from a GHG offsets perspective, why develop projects or offer offsets for sale under the Alberta system which is subject to a price cap? Add to this a whole bunch of policy uncertainty and it’s hard to imagine how we will generate the same number of offsets as last year. Therefore, it will be fascinating to see if anyone is willing sell offsets today under current pricing.

Reference: Bruce Love, Preferred Carbon
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author only and are not intended to represent financial advice.

Market News

Fundamental Analysis

Technical Indicators

I have set up these weekly updates to include market entry indicators to help you improve the timing of your grain marketing. Also, I added market trend indicators to give you a sense of the short and long term market trends.

Canola – November Futures
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Wheat – December Futures
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Barley – October Futures
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Canadian Dollar – September futures
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Producer Crop and Climate Updates

England: “Weather here is currently reasonable for grain fill; reasonably bright days with coolish temperatures of 16 to 21 C and intermittent rainfall. Adequate soil moisture can be found in most areas. Most wheat crops have flowered and are starting to fill and are currently standing. Canola crops are nearly at full seed fill. Yield potential is extremely variable across the country. Some very good canola, some very poor. A much greater range than last year which should result in a lower average yield.” Nick Ward, Lincolnshire, England

Ukraine: “We are ready to start harvest. I think we are going to begin in 7 days, with winter barley. Temperatures are now hot (30-34°C) but we got rain last week (22mm). Crops look good. Yields we are awaiting: winter barley should average 5,5T-6,5T (100 to 120 bu ac), winter wheat should average 5T-5,5T (75 to 80 bu/ac), winter canola should average 2,7-3T (50 to 55 bu/ac) and spring barley should average 3,5T-4,5T (65 to 85 bu/ac).” Jean Paul Kihm, Ukraine

Victoria, Australia: “Crops in the Northern Mallee have emerged well and are looking healthy, with occasional showers keeping moisture levels up. With not a great deal of subsoil moisture we wouldn’t mind a good drink to give us a little more confidence. Canola emergence is as good as we have seen for this time of year– but it is still a long way till harvest! It has been very calm with few frosts to date which has helped early growth.” John Gladigau, Victoria, Australia

NSW, Australia: “We have had good rains in June. Most people have had between 30mm and 90mm for the month. This is close to the long term average of 70 mm. It has really taken the pressure off from the ongoing dryness. Most crops are looking good with 95% plus now planted. We still don’t have much subsoil moisture but we do have good potential if we can keep getting some rain.” Murray Scholz, Culcairn, NSW, Australia

Western Australia: “I am at Cunderdin, 150km east of Perth. Canola, lupins, barley and wheat planted end April to first week of June. Well below average rainfall for May and June so far. Fronts are going through southwestern WA, but not delivering good rain falls. Geraldton and Esperance have ideal conditions. Crops are good considering low rain received. Will be an average season if average rainfall from now on.” Dave Fulwood, Cunderdin, WA, Australia

South Australia: “The central region of South Australia is looking excellent and probably as good as it gets for this time of year. We have had an early break, like most of SA, most of the crops have gone in in record time under good soil moisture conditions, cool but OK temperatures. At this stage they are looking very good. There has been a lot of early growth and some people have put sheep on their crops to eat off some leaves and slow them down. There is forecast for more rain in the next few weeks so hopefully the good conditions will continue. Last week heavy showers hit the Mid and Upper North dumping up 45mm in a few hours, but typical for this time of year some areas got this, while others missed out all together. While the conditions look very good at the moment it is still very early in the season and last year we were looking equally as well off for moisture and it stopped raining with most of the crops filling on very little or no moisture. So it is still a long way to go for our crops.” Mark Branson, South Australia

New Zealand: “We have had a very wet month of May with 150mm of rain which meant a lot of wheat was not planted until June. That will have a 3 t/ha (45 bu/ac) yield penalty. There was a little feed wheat planted in late March/April and it is looking very good and is at GS 23-25. Plants/sq/m is at 70-80 so it’s on track for a good yield. Milling wheat is just coming through the ground at best so it’s hard to know how it will look when it comes up. We are very cold (for NZ) with frosts at -5 for most of the week but days of up to 18 C so not too bad. Today is the shortest day and we normally get our worst weather so it is like the wheel barrow- it is all is front of us. Premium wheat contracts were out at NZ$440/t and there was some interest in them as you could imagine and they were well over subscribed. There will be a lot of free milling wheat grown and less feed wheat than last year.” Craige Mackenzie, Methven, New Zealand

International Crop and Weather News

Western Canada: Beneficial rains fell across the southern Prairies last week, with amounts reaching up to 50 mm in the Medicine Hat and Swift Current region. In other southern areas, amounts were 15 to 25 mm. The northern regions received either no precipitation or scattered showers. Maximum temperatures reached 25 to 30 degrees Celsius, while the eastern Prairies were cooler, reaching the low-twenties. Frost continued to be reported in Alberta and eastern Saskatchewan. Reseeding of canola crops is occurring in many areas because of the frost. Slight damage to cereals and other crops is anticipated, but it's not thought to be significant. Seeding of all crops across the Prairies is 99 per cent complete, which is close to normal. The remaining unseeded areas are very wet from a combination of late fall and early spring moisture. These areas may only be seeded into greenfeed crops. The dry conditions in central Alberta and Saskatchewan have intensified. Yield reductions are anticipated unless moisture arrives very soon.

United States: Light to moderate rains fell across the Central Plains over the past week. The heaviest amounts (125-150 mm) fell in localized areas of Nebraska, Kansas, and Colorado with up to 125 mm, but generally, amounts ranged from 40 to 100 mm. Precipitation in the southern part of the HRW area ranged from 25 to 100 mm. Spring wheat growing areas experienced light rains last week, with most areas receiving under 25 mm. More precipitation fell in the Cornbelt early in the week, but the area has tended towards some drier weather recently. Scattered showers fell in Idaho, Oregon, and Washington, while temperatures in the PNW were above normal. Daily highs reached 35 degrees Celsius in the Southern Plains and 20 to 25 degrees Celsius in the Northern Plains. The area from the Northern Plains and upper Midwest south-west to southern California and Arizona experienced below normal temperatures. Deviations below normal exceeded 9 degrees Fahrenheit in the Northwestern Plains.

The hot and dry conditions in Washington State adversely affected spring cereals. Spring cereals in Idaho and Oregon have been doing significantly better. The continued rains in the southern HRW and SRW areas delayed harvest activities. In most parts of the Northern Plains, the lack of rain has not caused problems because of high soil moisture levels, with the exception of eastern South Dakota and Nebraska which are abnormally dry. Southern Minnesota and northwestern Wisconsin is also in need of rain. Desert Durum harvest is progressing under good conditions in Arizona and California. While some soybean seeding will inevitably continue past this point, corn and spring cereal planting is now complete.

Argentina: Argentina was extremely dry last week, with only a small pocket of under 10 mm of precipitation in Entre Rios. Daily high temperatures were in the upper teens in the south and reached the low twenties in the north. Temperatures in the north were1 to 5 degrees Celsius below normal for this time of year. Light frost occurred across La Pampa, Buenos Aires, and further north. The lack of rain will be damaging to emerged crops and will cause further planting delays while farmers wait for better soil moisture conditions. The last small amount of corn and soybean harvest was encouraged by the dry conditions.

Brazil: Additional rains fell across the south and southeast regions of Brazil last week. Rains also fell across much of Mato Grosso do Sul. Precipitation amounts were generally 10 to 25 mm, but locally reached 25 to 50 mm. Central regions of the country were mostly dry, with some scattered showers falling. Temperatures were 1 to 5 degrees Celsius below normal in the south, with highs in the upper-teens and low-twenties. Further north, daily high's were in the upper-twenties to low-thirties. The rains and cooler temperatures were beneficial to earlier planted cereals, as well as to prospective plantings.

Australia: Much of the southern agricultural areas received rains during the past week. Portions of Western Australia’s wheat belt continued to receive precipitation that began during the previous week. While parts received 15 to 25 mm, other key regions were essentially dry. Further east, cereal growing regions near the coast received 40 to 60 mm, but further inland, amounts of precipitation were under 15 mm. Temperatures were normal to slightly below normal. In the southeast, daily high's were in the teens, with Western Australia and southern Queensland reaching into the low-twenties. Seeding is now well advanced and the rains and cool temperatures are beneficial to the crop growth and soil moisture supplies.

Western Europe: Light to moderate rains (10-50+ mm) covered northern Europe last week, which helped to replenish soil moisture reserves and boost the heading to filling grains. Temperatures were normal to slightly below normal across the region. Daily high temperatures ranged between the upper-teens in Scandinavia and northern UK, to the low-thirties in southern France. Overnight low’s were generally above the freezing mark, except in parts of Scandinavia.

Dry and hot weather prevailed in southern Europe last week, allowing harvest to progress in all regions. Temperatures were close to normal in Spain and 1 to 5 degrees Celsius above seasonal values in Italy and Greece. Daily high’s were between 25 and 35 degrees Celsius in Italy, and reached the upper-thirties in Spain and Greece.

Eastern Europe: Moderate to heavy rains (25-100 mm) helped to replenish soil reserves in northeastern Europe, while lighter amounts fell southward last week. The Balkans were dry last week, whereas the harvest is progressing. Above normal temperatures prevailed in much of central and southern areas of Eastern Europe, with deviations 1 to 5 degrees Celsius above seasonal values. Daily high’s ranged between 20 to 30 degrees Celsius in the Baltic region, and 30 to 35 degrees Celsius in the Balkans. Minimum temperatures were above the freezing mark in Eastern Europe. Last week’s favourable conditions boosted the reproductive wheat development in northeastern Europe and helped the region to recover from the previous short term drought.

Russia: Additional moisture (10-100 mm) favoured the spring greening wheat in the Central District, while the main winter wheat growing areas receives less than 10 mm last week. Above normal temperatures persisted in Western Russia, with deviation 1 to 7 degrees Celsius above normal. Daily maximum’s were mostly between 25 and 35 degrees Celsius, and reached the upper-thirties in southern Volga and the eastern half of the Southern District.

Light to moderate rains (10-50+ mm) continued to prevail in much of Siberia, while the remainder of eastern Russia received less than 10 mm last week. Temperatures were above normal in the region, with deviations 1 to 5 degrees Celsius above seasonal values. Daily highs were mostly between 25 and 35 degrees Celsius, and overnight lows were generally above the freezing mark in the main growing areas.

Last week’s conditions boosted the emerging spring crops across the country, however, high temperatures stressed the heading to filling winter grains.

Ukraine: Additional favourable rains (10-50 mm) helped to replenish soil moisture reserves in the western and northern regions of the Ukraine, while the eastern part of the country received less than 10 mm last week. Temperatures were above normal across the country, with deviations 1 to 5 degrees Celsius above seasonal values. Daily high’s were generally between 25 and 35 degrees Celsius, and reached the mid to upper-thirties in the extreme southeast. Overnight lows were above 5 degrees Celsius in much of the country. Last week’s favourable conditions boosted the reproductive wheat growth and stabilized the barley yields across the country.

Kazakhstan: Light to moderate beneficial rains (10-50+ mm) fell in the north-central key productive area, while the remainder of the country was mostly dry last week. Temperatures were above normal across the country, with the highest deviations in the west, with 3 to 5 degrees Celsius above normal. Daily high temperatures were mostly between 30 and 35 degrees Celsius and overnight lows were generally above 5 degrees Celsius in the main growing areas. Last week’s conditions boosted the growth of the greening spring grains, nevertheless, more rains are needed, especially in the north-central Kazakhstan.

China: Heavy rains (50 150 mm) fell in southern China last week, with some areas exceeding 200 mm. In some regions, heavy winds and large hail accompanied the rains. In the northern winter wheat areas where harvest is currently underway, conditions are relatively dry. The northern spring planted areas including Liaoning, Jilin, and Heilongjiang received moderate to heavy rains (50 100 mm). Daily high temperatures were between 30 and 40 degrees Celsius in the south, and in the twenties in the north. These temperatures are above normal in the south and below normal for the north.

The continued rains in the northern growing region were highly beneficial for the crops. Combined with the cooler temperatures, the rains will stabilize yields and reduce concerns of drought impact on spring wheat, corn, and soybeans. The winter wheat harvest is more than 50 per cent complete. The dry and hot temperatures in the northern areas were beneficial for harvest and will advance crop maturity. While the damaging weather raised some initial concerns about crop loss, it is forecasted that the poor weather will cause downgrading of quality in the worst hit regions, but not significantly impact quantity.

India/Pakistan: Monsoon rains fell across the southwest and northeast regions of India over the past week. The remainder of the country was dry with only isolated showers falling. Monsoon activity is still below normal and not anticipated to revive over the upcoming week. Temperatures were above normal through the interior of India and normal elsewhere. Daily high’s reached the upper-forties in Punjab and southern Pakistan. Much of the rest of the country reached into the low-forties or upper-thirties in higher elevations.

South Africa: Scattered light rains (5-25 mm) favoured the emerging to greening winter wheat in the Western Cape last week. Showers returned to the Free State and the northern growing regions, after a long period of dry conditions which helped to motivate planting activities. Temperatures were slightly above normal across the main growing areas. Daily highs were mostly between 15 and 25 degrees Celsius. Overnight lows were between 0 and 10 degrees Celsius in the Western Cape and dipped below the freezing mark in the southern part of the Free State. More moisture is needed across the country to boost the wheat planting in the northern regions and to help the emerging grain crops in the Western Cape.

North Africa: Dry and hot conditions continued to prevail in North Africa last week. Temperatures were above normal across the region, with deviations 1 to 5 degrees Celsius above seasonal values. Daily high temperatures were mostly between 30 and 40 degrees Celsius, and reached 40 to 45 degrees Celsius in Southern Morocco. Dry conditions and high temperatures hastened the maturation of the grains in eastern Algeria and northern Tunisia, while the harvest progresses in all regions.

Iran: Scattered light rains (10-25 mm) in western Iran provided some help to filling wheat, while mostly dry conditions allowed the harvest to progress in the remainder of the country last week. Temperatures were normal to slightly below normal across the growing areas. Daily high temperatures were mostly between 30 and 35 degrees Celsius, and reached 35 to 40 degrees Celsius in the central areas.
Syria: Dry and hot weather prevailed in Syria last week. Temperatures were 1 to 5 degrees Celsius above normal across the main growing areas. Daily highs reached 35 to 45 degrees Celsius. Harvest is continuing across all regions.

Turkey: Light to moderate rains (10-50+ mm) fell in the central growing areas, helping the spring and summer crops, while mostly dry and hot conditions prevailed in the remainder of the country, pushing grains into maturity last week. Temperatures were above normal across the country, with deviations 1 to 5 degrees Celsius above seasonal values. Daily high’s were mostly between 25 and 35 degrees Celsius in much of the country, and reached the mid to upper thirties in extreme south, where the grain harvest started.

Source: Canadian Wheat Board