A production specialist with Manitoba Pulse and Soybean Growers (MPSG) says the soybean harvest is off to a good start.

Kristen Podolsky estimates that soybean harvest is between 30 and 40 per cent complete, with most of the progress happening in the southeast and central regions.

"Yields so far are surprisingly good in some areas" said Podolsky. "I think the thing this year is that there's going to be a lot of variability. The areas that were affected by the excess moisture are going to be certainly below average but we're seeing some very high yields coming out of parts of eastern, central and even western Manitoba."

Podolsky reminds producers to try to aim for 13 per cent moisture.

She adds that 80 to 90 per cent of harvest losses occur at the header during gathering, and advises producers to measure their losses in a square foot.

Four to five beans per square foot equates to one bushel per acre which can add up quickly. The goal is to be at less than five per cent harvest loss. If losses are higher than five per cent, MPSG can troubleshoot where the problems are happening by sorting the types of losses into different groups.

Podolsky notes that there is a spreadsheet available online that can determine the combine adjustments that need to be made.