A wet start to the growing season has created some challenges for southern Manitoba producers, but farmer Randy Froese of Froese Enterprise says crops are holding up better than expected. Froese says the season got off to a later start because of cold and wet conditions, pushing things back by about a week or two from normal. “It’s been challenging, that’s for sure,” he said. “We managed to get everything in seeded corner to corner, which was nice, but it was a late start just because of the cold and wet.” He says producers are now into their second round of spraying, but it has been a day-to-day process as farmers try to cover acres between rain showers. “You’re trying to get a couple of acres here, a couple of acres there and then it seems to rain again,” Froese said. “So you’re just trying to do the best you can with what you have for the weather.” Rainfall has also varied widely from one area to another. Froese says some systems have brought significant amounts of moisture to certain farms, while nearby areas received much less. “It’s been very, very hit and miss with the rain showers,” he said. “We had a couple shots of rain that came through the farm to Plum Coulee where we got four and a half inches of rain where we could have got nothing.” Despite the moisture, Froese says the crop outlook is not as poor as he might have expected. He estimates losses are sitting around five to ten per cent, with corn and soybeans handling the conditions fairly well. “I think they’re faring actually better than what I would have thought it would be for the amount of rain that we’ve had,” Froese said. “The corn and the soybeans have really, really held on throughout all the rain.” Canola has been more uneven, with Froese noting more loss in fields that drowned out early. However, he says his area has been fortunate compared to others that have seen heavier rain or hail. Warmer temperatures this week are expected to help some crops rebound, especially corn and soybeans in low-lying areas that have been sitting in water. “I think you’re going to see the corn and the soybeans really bounce back,” Froese said. “We definitely need the heat to push the corn and soybean through.” Looking ahead, Froese says the ground is already very full of moisture, and many crops likely have enough to keep going for now. While some rainfall may still be needed later in the season, he says drier conditions would be welcome before harvest. “I sure hope that the harvest season isn’t quite as wet as what this last month and a half has been,” he said. “It’ll make for a challenging harvest if this rain continues like this.” Froese is also asking drivers to be mindful of farm equipment on the roads, as producers continue to work long hours whenever weather allows. “There’s a lot of long hours that get put in,” he said. “Everybody’s trying to do their best that they can and there’s lots of equipment and stuff on the road.”