Late rains bring bumper soybean crops for some southeastern Manitoba farmers
A Springfield farmer's decision to plant less wheat in favour of crops like soybeans is paying off with a bumper crop.
Fields are yielding up to 60 bushels per acre
Manitoba farmer Andrew James decided to plant more soybeans this year, and that has paid off with a bumper crop.
A Springfield farmer's decision to plant less wheat in favour of crops like soybeans is paying off with a bumper crop.
Heavy rain, variable weather and high fuel costs created a worrisome season for Manitoba farmers, but things have worked out for some.
For Andrew James, who farms in the rural municipality of Springfield east of Winnipeg, that's looking like average soybean yields of more than 60 bushels an acre.
That is "absolutely exceptional," he said Friday.
"As a farmer, I'm not budgeting those yields. I'm budgeting like 45. So, to get a bump like that is absolutely awesome."
James also spoke with CBC News last winter. At the time, he had not planned to plant any wheat. James later decided to plant a few acres, but it's been the least profitable crop of his 2026 crops.
Oats have been the second-most profitable of his crops, far behind soybeans.
James still has about a quarter of his land left to harvest. He expects the weather that helped boost bean growth will have done the same for the sunflowers and corn that remain.
Rain at the end of August ended up being beneficial.
"It'll downgrade your wheat, but it'll help your bean harvest," James said. "The beans took advantage of that. So, it was [a purely] water-driven yield increase."
An agronomist based in Beausejour said that late August rain was highly variable across the province, leaving some spots too wet and others too dry.
Terry Buss is with Manitoba Pulse & Soybean Growers. He says he's heard from farmers getting yields as low as 30 bushels an acre.
"We have had better yields in the central part of Manitoba and in the eastern part of Manitoba," he said in an interview Wednesday.
"There are areas where it's been particularly good, but you don't have to drive very far to find the problems."
The introduction of soybean crops into the province has created a reliable, steady earner for farmers, Buss says. That's especially true in the southeastern part of Manitoba, which has similar growing conditions to northern Minnesota and northeastern North Dakota.
Soybeans will be a crop that helps farmers break even and "keeps the banker off your back," he said.
With weather becoming more variable or drastic, Buss says that reliability is important.
"Based on the sentiment I'm hearing right now from people when I speak to them, I wouldn't be surprised if soy acres increase."
Manitoba Agriculture's crop report from Wednesday shows the soybean harvest is 95 per cent complete in the central and eastern regions of the province, with that number dipping to 60 per cent in the southwest.
It lists soybean yields as "average to above average."
James says despite the bumper crop, the harvest hasn't been easy for many Manitoba farmers, and some are looking forward to the next growing season.
"Overall, we should be really happy with how the year has gone," he said.
"We've gotten through the challenges, gotten through the tough year, and I think most farmers will be in a better spot than we all thought we were."
