The most recent session of the Saskatchewan legislature was a relaxing time for agriculture minister Bob Bjornerud, not counting the days he was rushing home to bail water. Bjornerud said he was stumped by the lack of agricultural questions that the opposition NDP asked during the session. “On our worst day in opposition, I think […] Read more
Weather — page 99
Flooding, crop insurance are top of mind
Soybeans still a good bet in Manitoba despite Mother Nature
Bad weather is complicating plans to grow a record number of soybeans in Manitoba this year. The initial expectation had been for farmers to plant as many as 700,000 acres, which would have smashed the 2010 record of 528,000 acres, but that was before Manitoba winter extended well into April. Most Red River Valley soybean […] Read more
Wet weather puts damper on North Dakota wheat acres
North Dakota farmers will seed 500,000 fewer acres of spring wheat this year than expected, says Jim Peterson, marketing director for the North Dakota Wheat Commission. Wheat acreage will likely drop even further if producers don’t receive dry weather in the last week of May, he added. The U.S. Department of Agriculture predicted in its […] Read more
Satellite images show farmers where it’s wet
Plenty of water is covering farmland in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. But how much water, and on what amount of farmland? Iunctus Geomatics Corp. of Lethbridge is the latest player among several prairie companies that can give precise answers to those questions, which might come in handy this year for crop insurance programs or potential […] Read more
Disaster assistance upsets cattle producers in blizzard’s wake
Saskatchewan cattle producers who lost calves in a recent blizzard say the compensation offered by the province is not enough. Eighty people attended a meeting in Stoughton May 10 to discuss their losses and pass a resolution requesting more than the $400 per calf minimum the government is offering through the Provincial Disaster Assistance Program […] Read more
Cattle shipped out, pastures submerged
EDDYSTONE, Man. – Bill Finney usually feeds his cattle in a more conventional manner, but this spring he has been spreading hay on a road half a mile south of his farmyard. Finney, who runs 400 cows near the Lake Manitoba Narrows with his brothers, Lyle and Norman, was forced to feed cattle on the […] Read more
Farmers angry yet resigned over flood
Farmers southeast of Portage la Prairie, Man., are relieved, frustrated and angry following the provincial government’s decision May 14 to intentionally flood cropland, says Chuck Fossay, who farms near Starbuck, Man. The province cut into the Assiniboine River dike at Hoop and Holler Bend, 15 kilometres from Portage, releasing 400 cubic feet per second of […] Read more
Sask. water levels receding; cleanup begins
The worst of Saskatchewan’s spring floods appear behind it, and a gradual water level decline is underway. Water remains in many fields and levels are high on lakes and rivers, but the Saskatchewan Watershed Authority said May 16 the flooding Qu’Appelle River system was receding and the situation on the Souris River was stable. Unless […] Read more
Farmer sings praises of rubber tracks
Tracks can make the difference between seeding and not seeding, a Saskatchewan farmer found last year. Kent Hanmer of Govan started the year with no rubber tracks. Today, every implement that goes to the field is tracked. Wet conditions last spring prevented Hanmer from seeding 5,000 of his 22,000 acres. He ran a Seed Hawk […] Read more
Seeding progress worrying farmers
Seeding progress in Saskatchewan is not much different than last year but for some growers the situation feels far more ominous. In its second crop report of 2011, Saskatchewan Agriculture said seeding was one percent complete as of May 2, compared to two percent a year ago. The numbers are similar but the circumstances are […] Read more
