Alberta crop conditions fall overall, poor hay supplies cause for concern

Alberta crop conditions as of July 24, 2018

Reading Time: < 1 minute Provincial crop conditions have dropped over seven points from last week. Northwest. Northeast and Peace regions saw minimal changes, while the South and Central have been most affected. The hot dry weather and limited rainfall played a part in the decline in these two regions. Although the Northeast and Northwest have experienced varied weather including […] Read more

Crop conditions slide as soil moisture dwindles in some areas

Alberta crop conditions as of July 10, 2018

Reading Time: 2 minutes Precipitation over the past month has been very spotty across the province, resulting in variable soil moisture reserves and crop conditions. Crop condition ratings are down from a week ago for all regions, but still higher than the short and long term averages in the North East, North West and Peace Regions. For the Southern […] Read more


(Dave Bedard photo)

Firm, steady flax prices seen in the cards

CNS Canada — Farmers with flax in the ground should be pleased come autumn. Statistics Canada revised its seeded acreage estimate downward in late June and that, combined with lower carryout stocks and several other factors, should bring strong prices. “Given the demand in the market from China, the United States and potentially even the […] Read more

Crops improve in South, Central Alberta, other regions see declines

Alberta crop conditions as of July 3, 2018

Reading Time: < 1 minute The province endured some erratic weather this past week ranging from strong winds, a little hail, some cooler than normal temperatures and random rainfall. At this time there is standing water in some fields while others are parched. Recent rainfalls have contributed to an overall increase in surface soil moisture rated as good or better, […] Read more


Canola south of Ethelton, Sask. on Aug. 3, 2017. (Dave Bedard photo)

Canola prices vulnerable after StatsCan report

CNS Canada — The latest acreage report from Statistics Canada failed to surprise most investors in the market, but still could leave canola futures looking overpriced, according to a trader. “It certainly is a negative number,” said Ken Ball of PI Financial in Winnipeg, referring to the agency’s estimate for canola. StatsCan’s report on Friday […] Read more

Rain on the plains makes for good crop gains

Alberta crop conditions as of June 19, 2018

Reading Time: 2 minutes Over the past week, there were some welcome rain showers in the western parts of the province, bringing sufficient moisture to support the active growth of both annual and perennial crops. While many areas in the west of the Southern and Central Regions received at least 30 mm of rain, rainfall for the west parts […] Read more


Mixed weather finds Alberta crops, pasture, hay conditions improve

Alberta crop conditions as of June 12, 2018

Reading Time: 2 minutes Over the past week, most areas of the province received timely rains, with the highest rainfall accumulations since the beginning of June seen in the North East Region, and the lowest in the western parts of the Southern and Central Regions. This weather system was also responsible for hail and strong winds, in different parts […] Read more

Dry weather offers a break for late seeding efforts

Alberta crop conditions as of May 29, 2018

Reading Time: < 1 minute Dry weather conditions helped producers catch up with late seeding and contributed to quick germination and emergence. Recent hot and windy weather lead to the increased drying of both surface soil moisture and sub-surface soil moisture. The forecasted cooler temperatures and scattered showers throughout the province are anticipated to aid overall crop growing conditions. Provincially, […] Read more


Seeding makes good progress, surface soil moisture levels declining

Alberta crop conditions as of May 22, 2018

Reading Time: < 1 minute Warm and dry weather over the past week provided favourable conditions for seeding operations in most of the province. Provincially, seeding progress has increased 30 per cent from a week ago, to 67 per cent complete, compared to the 5-year average (2013-2017) of 83 per cent. Regionally, seeding progress is most advanced in the Southern […] Read more

(Dave Bedard photo)

Canola stocks comfortable, eyes on new crop

CNS Canada — Canadian canola stocks are rather large heading into the new growing season, but attention now is firmly on new-crop production. Statistics Canada on Friday pegged canola supplies in the country as of March 31 at 9.1 million tonnes, the second-largest on record for that time of year and about 1.1 million tonnes […] Read more