WINNIPEG, Manitoba, Oct 4 (Reuters) – Canada’s smallest canola harvest in 13 years, resulting from severe drought, is forcing importers like Japan and Mexico to pay more or scour other countries for the yellow-flowering oilseed. With the scant available Canadian canola fetching high prices, customers of the world’s biggest canola exporter are leaning more heavily […] Read more
Tag Archives Drytimes
Flax crop takes hit
WINNIPEG (MarketsFarm) — Prices for flax have skyrocketed this year as production falls and demand increases, says Dale McManus of Johnston’s Seeds in Welwyn, Sask. He said Johnston’s was paying $38 per bushel for golden flax picked up off of the farm and brown flax was fetching $36 to $37 per bushel. Growers in Saskatchewan […] Read more
More sows, fewer cows predicted for next year
The USDA expects more Canadian cows will go to slaughter while an increase in sows should help hog numbers recover
A report issued in September by the U.S. Department of Agriculture forecasts the Canadian cattle and hog herds to contract as 2022 begins. The report from the Foreign Agricultural Service says the 2021 drought means a smaller calf crop next year as more heifers and cows go to slaughter. However, it also notes that improved […] Read more
APAS launches grain contract penalties survey
Saskatchewan’s general farm organization has launched an on-line survey, asking farmers to share information about financial penalties stemming from unfilled grain contracts. The Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan (APAS) says its survey is aimed at learning more about the financial costs incurred by drought-affected farmers who are unable to meet their contract obligations. Low yields […] Read more
Force of the Golden Rule appears through Hay West
There are few things more stressful than owning livestock while knowing available feed and water may run out over a prairie winter. Drought hurts grain producers’ pocketbooks but when feed is in short supply or of poor quality, it’s about more than money for stock growers. Insurance, risk management tools, bank loans — and a […] Read more
Man. drought far from over despite recent rain
Precipitation in last six weeks has been welcome but not enough to compensate for a year of exceptionally dry weather
Manitoba is finally green. From April to early August, lawns, pastures and hay crops looked dead and brown in much of the province. However, thanks to above average rainfall in the last six weeks, the brown colour shifted to green. The green lawns and pastures are nice to look at, but the colour is deceptive […] Read more
Alta. irrigation districts say system passed drought test
Increased efficiencies meant districts didn’t draw their full licensed allocation despite the need for extra water due to heat and dry weather
It’s been a tough year for farmers but leaders in two of Alberta’s largest irrigation districts say they were able to meet demand and continue to do more with less water. “I think the kind of heat we had for the last two weeks of June is something that — speaking with a lot of […] Read more
Farmers often dare to experiment — and sometimes fail
Improving the Prairies: Upcoming conference will allow producers to compare notes on what works and what doesn’t
This story is part of an ongoing series that looks at how many farmers are attempting to preserve their soil while increasing profits. You can find the first story in this series – For the love of soil – here. VIRDEN, Man. — Some things work, some things don’t. This year has turned out to be […] Read more
Horse owners struggle with shortage of good-quality hay
A boarding facility near Saskatoon says finding adequate feed supplies has been its number one concern this year
SASKATOON — With 10 horses of their own and another 28 boarding on their property near Clavet, Sask., Gayle Smith and Alf Epp of Sunny Plain Ranch run one of the largest equine boarding facilities in the Saskatoon area. Sunny Plain is busy with English and Western discipline lessons and visiting clinicians. Smith and Epp […] Read more
Eastern hay arrives in the West
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
