Dry conditions in southern areas of Saskatchewan and Alberta are limiting winter cereal seeding so far, as farmers wait for rain. But that’s not the best strategy, according to Cordon Geisam, southern Saskatchewan/southeastern Alberta territorial manager for FP Genetics, a Regina-based seed company that deals in fall rye hybrids. Geisam said farmers who wait for […] Read more
Weather
U.S. forecaster raises chance of La Niña
Sept. 14 (Reuters) — The likelihood of the La Niña weather pattern is increasing for this fall and winter, a U.S. government weather forecaster said on Thursday. The National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center in its monthly forecast put the chances of La Niña at 55 percent to 60 percent. Last month, it had said […] Read more
CGC report looks at quality of spring harvested canola
Western Canadian canola growers who were unable to harvest their crops before winter last year now have a more accurate picture of how their spring harvested acres fared in terms of quality and grade. According to the Canadian Grain Commission, western Canadian growers planted nearly 20.3 million acres of canola in 2016 and harvested just […] Read more
Diesel could rise further in wake of Harvey
WINNIPEG, Sept. 7 (CNS) – Diesel prices in Western Canada have risen by about six to seven cents a litre since Hurricane Harvey hit the Texas coast, causing many refineries to temporarily close. An analyst of the fuel industry says harvest pressure will likely keep the diesel market from correcting downward, and push prices up […] Read more
Hail damage kept in check in August
All hail the relative absence of hail on the Prairies. That could well be the celebratory cry for farmers with the number of damaging hailstorms tracking below the five-year average, according to the Canadian Crop Hail Association. In its report for August, issued Sept. 5, the CCHA listed two hailstorms of note in Alberta, two […] Read more
European cereal crops hurt by bad weather
Cereal production in the European Union is forecast to be below average for a second year. According to the summer short-term outlook report published by the European Commission, adverse weather conditions in various regions in Europe means cereal production is likely to mean slightly below average. Heavy rain and severe drought have damaged yields, particularly […] Read more
Texas storm takes toll on livestock
COLLEGE STATION, Texas – In 54 Texas counties where disasters have officially been declared due to Hurricane Harvey, more than 1.2 million beef cows normally live, according to a United States Department of Agriculture inventory report. “That’s 27 percent of the state’s cowherd,” said Dr. David Anderson, Texas A&M AgriLife extension service livestock economist in […] Read more
Dry, hot summer leaves Manitoba yields in doubt
It’s been a strange growing season, and many producers aren’t sure what they’ll get this harvest
HOLLAND, Man. — On a sunny morning in mid-August, Les Ferris walked into the edge of a canola field, just east of his farmyard, and pulled a couple of plants out of the ground. He looked at the tops for signs of heat blast, then inspected the bottom to assess the number of branches on […] Read moreRanchers in parched U.S. Plains welcome hay lottery
By Theopolis Waters Aug 18 (Reuters) – Hundreds of livestock ranchers in the drought-stricken U.S. Northern Plains are embracing what organizers say is the first lottery designed to provide some much-needed relief to their operations. The prize? Tons and tons of hay. Ranchers in North Dakota, South Dakota and Montana have been suffering through the […] 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
