UPDATED: December 4, 2024 1020 CST – added contact info for CGC regional offices and service centres. WINNIPEG — The oil content of the this year’s canola crop is not great. It’s not as bad as 2021, but well below average levels from 2010-20. The mean oil content for canola samples submitted to the Canadian […] Read more
Tag Archives Dry Times
Treated oil waste water seen as drought solution
Rural towns in arid New Mexico see the toxic byproduct of oil well drilling as a replacement for increasingly scarce water
JAL, New Mexico (Reuters) — Flying over the desert landscape of southeastern New Mexico in a four-seat helicopter, Stephen Aldridge could count around a dozen man-made lagoons brimming with toxic waste water glistening between drill rigs and pump jacks. While it is a growing hazardous waste problem from the region’s booming drilling industry, the mayor […] Read more
Crop disease tags along on soybean’s coattails
‘Honeymoon’ period for producers is ending as diseases such as phytophthora root rot make inroads following soybean expansion
Glacier FarmMedia – The worst phytophthora infection that Laura Schmidt of Manitoba Pulse and Soybean Growers has ever seen was just south of Souris. “Probably 25 per cent of the field was impacted,” the production specialist told field day attendees at the Westman Agricultural Diversification Organization near Melita. “One in four plants were dying off, […] Read more
From AIM: Perennial and annual grazing mixes go head-to-head
Glacier FarmMedia – Producers looking to reseed drought-thrashed forage stands might want to check out results from a recent University of Saskatchewan study. The university set out to compare the performance of forage and annual blends under a planned grazing system. Study co-author Jourdyn Sammons presented results during an Ag in Motion rotational grazing lunch […] Read more
Dry weather, heat hit southwestern Sask. producers hard
Lots of rain has fallen across the Prairies this year, but not everyone has been fortunate enough to receive the moisture
REGINA — Some crops are running out of moisture despite decent spring rain through most of Saskatchewan. Last week’s high temperatures took their toll in parts of the southwest that hadn’t yet recovered from previous years’ drought. Both field crops and pastures were suffering. Tyler Wilson, who farms near Admiral, said some crops still looked […] Read more
Soil moisture deficit persists
Rainfall on the Prairies is much greater this year than last, though water expert Phillip Harder warns against setting high hopes for a continuing positive situation. “2023 winter, so Oct. 1 up until April 15, we had 140 millimetres of precipitation,” said Harder, research associate at the Global Institute for Water Security at the University […] Read more
Small business feels ag pain
SMITH CENTER, Kansas (Reuters) — In a tiny town surrounded by miles of rippling wheat fields, Brady Peterson’s restaurant sits nearly empty during what should be a Saturday lunch rush. Normally, Pete’s would be filled with farmers ordering fried chicken and cheeseburgers, but as farm income thins, so does Peterson’s business. Sluggish sales have slashed […] Read more
Feds announce early livestock tax deferral
Program has also been streamlined and buffer zones added to ensure eligibility
Glacier FarmMedia – Livestock producers in drought-affected areas are getting and early livestock tax deferral (LTD) for the 2024 season. The federal government said the situation has become more challenging for producers due to climate change, when announcing a list of regions eligible for the deferral on June 14. The LTD allows producers in designated […] Read more
Alta. town prepares for future water shortages
Officials in Viking, Alta., hope a raw filtered water project will help put local farmers on a better footing for dry times
Glacier FarmMedia – The town of Viking in central Alberta is ready if the tap turns off again in 2024. This time, if drought rears its ugly head, local farmers will be able to fill their agricultural needs from a new raw water pumping station, built with the town’s existing infrastructure. The town celebrated its […] Read more
Pasture outlook seen as ‘cautiously optimistic’
Agronomists urge cattle producers to practise patience when they are tempted to graze immature pastures this spring
The grazing season has had some memorably bad starts in recent years, but 2024 won’t likely be one of them. Producers had a better feed buffer last fall. In 2022, for example, turnout was hindered by the double whammy of a cold, wet spring and the lingering impacts of the 2021 drought on feed supplies […] Read more
