A western Sask., farmer says a moisture probe in one of his canola fields has indicated saturation every day since June 2
REGINA — The 2024 growing season for many Prairie farmers is characterized by the old saying, it never rains but it pours. Most of Manitoba has received far beyond 100 per cent of normal rainfall, leading to unseeded acres and flooded crops. Saskatchewan’s most recent crop report highlighted crop flooding in low lying areas and […] Read moreTag Archives precipitation — page 3
Irrigators plan for a dry year if conditions hold
Crop types that require less water can reduce growers’ exposure to below normal precipitation and runoff
Soil moisture and precipitation in Alberta are far from ideal for field crops and even irrigated land had challenges in the last growing season — a situation that had many producers talking options during the Ag Connections conference in Medicine Hat in November. “This is the first year that we’ve ever talked about water shutoffs […] Read more
Below-average precipitation forecast
November brought little relief for producers living through dry conditions across Alberta. Precipitation remains rare and many mountain snowpack stations are reporting below average levels, as 51 water shortage advisories stretch across the province, north to south. Seasonal forecasts predict little reprieve in the next three months as an El Nino weather system moves in. […] Read more
Alta. irrigators survived ’23 but ’24 remains dire
Irrigators were able to get through the 2023 season but not without getting bounced around in what has been a year marked by drought conditions, a quick melting mountain snowpack and little precipitation. The situation facing irrigators is best summed up by the latest bulletin from the Lethbridge Northern Irrigation District. “While it appears we […] Read more
Rain headache unlikely
Drew Lerner expects normal harvest weather conditions this year with rainfall picking up in September. “It’s not going to be like last year,” said the president of World Weather Inc. “It’s not going to be just big, heavy deluges of rain, one right after the other.” But there will be sporadic rainfall that will at […] Read more
Drought, disease take toll in Ont. corn, wheat
ESSEX County, Ont. — There’s an old adage among Ontario farmers when they talk about corn: knee high by the fourth of July. That’s the case for Terry Byrne and his brothers, a 20-minute drive from the Ambassador Bridge connecting Windsor and Detroit, but their corn isn’t healthy deep green-blue hue. Instead, the bottom leaves […] Read more
Maps illustrate Prairie dryness
Rainfall since April 1 has been well below normal for much of Saskatchewan and Alberta. These precipitation maps show percent of normal precipitation received from April 1 to early June for the years 2010 through 2015 inclusive. Without rain in the next week or so, yield potential could be reduced over a large part western […] Read more
Farmers fear dry will turn to drought
Prairie farmers have gone from flood to fire. After several wet rainy springs, it is now extremely dry in most places, even as some still struggle with wet seeding conditions. “It’s absolutely dry,” said Trevor Hadwen, agroclimate specialist at Agriculture Canada. “It has benefitted the farmers in terms of rapidly seeding, but now that most […] Read more
