The coordinator of the Green Gold program in Manitoba says the alfalfa harvest should get underway in the coming days. John McGregor says alfalfa crops are looking very good, especially in the southeast, and producers will likely get a high quality first cut with high tonnage.

"The fields that I'm sampling all tend to be fairly young fields. They are healthy looking fields and have the potential to produce quite a few tonnes of alfalfa."

But McGregor notes some growers sustained extensive winter kill in their alfalfa fields and they will not be so fortunate.

"Those producers have either worked down those fields and have sown them to a different type of forage, whether it be oats or green feed or rye grass or something like that or they've taken those fields right out of production and are growing other crops. I think what we're going to see is that on individual farms there may be a shortage because those individual producers have probably suffered a lot."

McGregor adds the start of the hay harvest will be pretty much on schedule with the long term average.

"We're probably right on schedule as far as averages go throughout the province. Right now we're starting to see alfalfa get into that 18-20 inch height and the relative feed values are starting to drop into the 200 range. So we're pretty well right on schedule with the normal being around June 4th as to what we've seen over the last 20 or so years."