A report that found more than 40 per cent of some herds to be open last year points the finger at cumulative years of drought. Feed and water were in short supply or of poor quality, and poor protein and feed energy availability likely caused “low to no cycling over the summer.”  |  Alexis Stockford photo

Cattle sector aims to break the cycle

Open rates were horrendous in Western Canada last fall: what can producers do to make sure history doesn’t repeat itself?

Glacier FarmMedia – Many beef producers got an unpleasant shock at last fall’s preg check, and experts are weighing in on what can be done to avoid a similar problem this year. According to a report from the Western Canadian Animal Health Network (WeCAHN), more than 40 per cent of some herds were found open. […] Read more

The author writes that Alberta urgently needs an independent, objective analysis by qualified professionals on the broader questions of how to adapt to a climate change future rather than on how to expand  irrigation.  |  File photo

Irrigation study in Alta. comes up dry

One definition of a consultant is someone who looks at your watch and tells you what time it is. The recently released consultant’s report, Adaptation Roadmap for the SSRB: Assessment of Strategic Water Management Projects to Support Economic Development in the South Saskatchewan River Basin, is a mirror reflecting the aspirations of the irrigation lobby. […] Read more

Australian wheat production is expected to be 25.8 million tonnes for the 2024-25 marketing year, slightly below the 26 million produced the previous year and three per cent lower than the 10-year average. | Reuters/ Jonathan Barrett photo

Australian cereals production expected to fall

Lack of rain in the states of Western Australia and South Australia may see harvests fall below the 10-year average

Glacier FarmMedia – WINNIPEG — Dry conditions in Western and South Australia may cause declines in the upcoming Australian wheat and barley crops, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s attaché in Canberra. In a USDA Global Agricultural Information Network report released April 29, the attaché forecasted wheat production at 25.8 million tonnes for the […] Read more


Southern Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba have all seen considerable amounts of precipitation the last couple of weeks. That should give a head start to the crops. However, many of those regions are extremely dry in the subsoil, and don't have the reserves to withstand long periods without precipitation or with long, hot periods throughout the summer. | File photo

Recent precipitation welcome, but more needed

Northern Alberta is particularly dry this spring, but even areas that are receiving rain have low soil moisture reserves

Glacier FarmMedia – Even though all three Prairie provinces had snow or rain last winter and this spring, moving out of drought conditions is not necessarily a given. “We’ve seen near normal precipitation throughout most of Saskatchewan and well as southern Alberta and much of Manitoba,” said Trevor Hadwen, agroclimate specialist with Agriculture Canada. This […] Read more

Mexico’s national water authority, Conagua, says severe drought has grown worse, and the country is facing the worst drought conditions since 2011. | Getty Images

U.S., Mexico spar over water treaty as drought fears rise

REUTERS — Texas farm groups warn of a disastrous season ahead for citrus and sugar as Mexican and U.S. officials try to resolve a dispute over a decades-old water treaty that supplies U.S. farmers with critical irrigation. The neighbouring countries have tussled over the 1944 treaty before, but the current drought-driven water shortages are the […] Read more


While the moisture from recent storms is welcome, it will do little to alleviate drought conditions that have been developing across the Prairies for several years. | File photo

Prairies have made a slow slide into drought

We had a fairly major storm system on the Prairies last week, but it was not strong enough to warrant major attention. Manitoba received the most moisture from this system, with widespread 20 to 30 millimetres of rain mixed with snow. The northern half of agricultural Saskatchewan, along with the far eastern regions, also saw […] Read more

Visible salt deposits coat the surface of a field in southern Manitoba after the 2024 melt.  |  Alexis Stockford photo

Use soil tests to manage salinity

Glacier FarmMedia – Producers in Saskatchewan and Manitoba are asking plenty of questions about how to manage salinity in their soil. Jeff Schoenau, a soil science professor with the University of Saskatchewan, is among those fielding questions, although he says the amount of visible salinity in his province is “normal” for April. “I think probably […] Read more

Livestock producers may have to get creative when faced with a drought-induced feed shortage. Striking a deal with a nearby cash cropper for their straw can be mutually beneficial.  |  File photo

Feed options needed during drought

Growing perennial and annual crops can stretch the grazing period to provide farmers options during a drought

REGINA — This year could be another dry one and cattle producers may have to consider management options. This includes whether herd numbers can be maintained with available feed sources or whether animals can be moved elsewhere. “Do I work with my neighbour, who is a cropping guy, and maybe strike up a deal to […] Read more


Significant surface runoff and pooled water in many prairie growing regions gives the impression soils will get a decent recharge this spring. However, Phillip Harder, hydrological scientist and research director at Croptimistic Technology, said the late fall rains and freezing at the soil surface, combined with multiple midwinter melts, will likely restrict the amount of water that makes it into the soil. He said on many fields much of the snowmelt will run off or accumulate in field depressions, which will end up doing the heavy lifting when it comes to crop production if rains are sparse this summer.  |  Phillip Harder photo

Dry summer still indicated

SASKATOON — World Weather Inc. believes much of the United States and portions of the Canadian Prairies will experience drought in the summer of 2024. That forecast is based on an analysis of the 18-year lunar cycle. “I’ve looked at six analog years and all six of them have a drier and warmer bias for […] Read more

Statistics Canada reports that farmers in Canada used 23 per cent more water in 2022 compared to 2020. At the same time, Canadians name water as their most important environmental pillar, according to the University of Alberta ag economist Ellen Goddard. | File photo

Overdrawn at the public relations water well?

Glacier FarmMedia – It’s been a long stretch of dry years for Canadian producers, and they’ve been using more irrigation water as a result. Statistics Canada reports that farmers in Canada used 23 per cent more water in 2022 compared to 2020. At the same time, Canadians name water as their most important environmental pillar, […] Read more