'Hanging on by a thread': Canadian farmers hope for rain as canola, wheat wither

FILE PHOTO: Canola matures in a field near Beausejour, Manitoba, Canada August 20, 2020. REUTERS/Shannon VanRaes/File Photo

MANITOU, Manitoba (Reuters) - Andy Keen's canola crop appears picturesque, bursting with yellow flowers that normally go on to produce pods of valuable seeds. But to Keen's eye, it is a disaster in the making.

Extreme heat and drought has accelerated development of his 1,700-acre (688 hectares) canola crop near Manitou, Manitoba, resulting in flowers appearing weeks early and leaving them vulnerable to shedding petals in the heat before they produce pods containing the small dark seeds crushed for their oil.