Harvest time is a busy time right across the Central Plains and a large chunk of Manitoba. The crops the producers have been growing for months are now coming off the field and while some still have a few weeks of hard work ahead of them, others are wrapping things up or getting very close to that goal. 

Forrest Road Acres is just North East of Carman and Don Wiebe says they finished getting the crops off their field Tuesday night. Like most of the area, Wiebe says dry conditions have meant they have finished earlier than normal, but the downside of that is lower than normal yields.

"We are probably a couple of weeks ahead of a normal year. But this area has been fairly dry. It seems like this year we've had pockets of rain, everywhere around here and within a couple of miles, it's been pretty dry. We've basically had about two inches of rain the whole season for growing our crops. So, it hasn't been great"

When asked about some of his neighbours, Wiebe says the situation is much the same.

"This whole area here is dry for the most part. Some crops have been pretty decent and surprisingly better than we expected, but most are what we have been expecting, which is poor"

While yields are much lower than what he would normally see, he says it will still be an okay year and adds it has made for quicker work of the fields.

"It's actually been very easy this year because everything's been dry and we haven't had to muck through any mud or anything like that. It's been good that way. We've also had good luck with no breakdowns either, which has been very, very fortunate."

Like many of the farms in the area, this one has been in the family for generations, something Wiebe is very proud of.

"My grandfather started this farm here many, many years ago when his family first came over. It passed to my dad and then to me. Now my son Brett is with us and is a big part of it. In fact, everyone in the family has a big role. It's been four generations here already, which is really neat."

Even though their crop is off the field, there is still work to be done in regards to other areas of the business. With that said though, Brett added they will now lend a hand to some of their neighbours who still have crops to bring in. 

The entire family and some of the staff that helped take the crop of the field were treated to a special meal right in the field for winning a grain rush draw through Portageonline and CFRY.

In response to Canada's Online News Act and Meta (Facebook and Instagram) removing access to local news from their platforms, PortageOnline encourages you to get your news directly from your trusted source by bookmarking this page and downloading the PortageOnline app.