A light sprinkle of rain fell as the first two truckloads of alfalfa-timothy hay from Ontario arrived at Merlis Wiebe’s farm northeast of Osler, Sask., on Sept. 10. They are part of Hay West, a new program from Mennonite Disaster Service to help drought-affected farmers in Saskatchewan. The initiative is a repeat of 2012 Hay […] Read more
Tag Archives Drought
Recent rain threatens grain quality
Western Canadian farmers can’t catch a break this year. It is bad enough that a severe lack of moisture in June and July decimated yields. Now there are mounting concerns that the rains that finally arrived in the last half of August are causing quality damage. “It is concerning for sure,” said Daryl Beswitherick, program […] Read more
Recent rain may keep cows at home
Increased confidence since moisture fell last month is expected to prompt more producers to avoid selling off their herds
The psychological boost from recent rainfall after the prairie drought could keep some cattle from going to market. Canfax manager and senior market analyst Brian Perillat told the Canadian Beef Industry Conference last week that predicting what will happen based on weather is always tricky, but anecdotally it seems that cattle producers will hold on […] Read more
AgriRecovery an example of how governments can work together
It was heartening to see signs of governments helping farmers in crisis. “This bit of help from the government, it’ll be a godsend for the beekeepers that just don’t have the cash,” said beekeeper Paul Gregory, who farms bees and forage seed in Manitoba’s drought-beset Interlake region, as provincial/federal safety net cash was made available […] Read more
Manitoba producers welcome AgriRecovery
Program, which was announced last week, is designed to help cattle producers and beekeepers access feed this winter
Manitoba producers say that without emergency cash from AgriRecovery, more farmers would be forced to sell cows and buy expensive replacement beehives. “Producers need to be securing that winter feed,” said Tyler Fulton, president of Manitoba Beef Producers, as the program’s details were announced outside the provincial legislature last week. “This AgriRecovery program should help […] Read more
Heat leaves prairie potato growers on edge
Producers across Western Canada are optimistic they can still produce a good crop this fall if the weather co-operates
It’s been a reversal of fortunes for Canada’s potato growers this year as last year’s dry season in the East moves west. However, with help from Mother Nature, western growers might still be able to get good yields. “The crop looks decent,” said Chad Berry, president of the Keystone Potato Producers Association. “We just need […] Read more
Growing project gets jump on Mother Nature
Organizers had to scramble to stay ahead of the rain as they prepared to harvest barley for the Canadian Foodgrains Bank
Months had passed in southern Alberta with no rain. Growing projects for the Canadian Foodgrains Bank throughout the region saw the crops ripen early amid relentless heat and smoky skies. But as luck would have it, rain was in the forecast on the very day the Coaldale-Lethbridge project planned to harvest its 180 acres of […] Read more
Innovation may help use cereal crops as feed
Whole Buncher collects straw and chaff at the back of the combine and leaves piles of the residue in the field for later use
An Alberta farmer’s innovations to an implement first developed nearly 20 years ago may be able to set up ranchers for a better 2022 as feed supplies continue to run tight this year. Larry Woolliams, AJ Manufacturing owner, says improvements to his company’s Whole Buncher will make it easier to use cereal crops as a […] Read more
Lake Diefenbaker water levels drop this year
Projected daily outflows are above the minimum that is required but well below the historical median outflow for August
Outflows from Lake Diefenbaker — southern Saskatchewan’s largest and most important surface water reservoir — will remain at levels well below normal as the province copes with extremely dry conditions and low run-off levels. However, officials with Saskatchewan’s Water Security Agency (WSA) say water levels at Lake Diefenbaker are within the normal operating range and […] Read more
Slaughter delays complicate drought
Minor livestock species such as bison and elk face long wait times that can be harder to manage during a feed shortage
Feed shortage problems facing cattle ranchers in Western Canada are shared by those raising other livestock. However, the troubles for those raising bison, elk and sheep are far from consistent. “We just don’t have a well-developed infrastructure in Canada,” said Les Kroeger, Canadian Bison Association chair. “We’re hearing of wait times of up to a […] Read more
