MarketsFarm — Manitoba’s Red River Valley is very wet heading into the winter freeze, but it’s still too early to say if the saturated soils will lead to flooding in the spring, according to provincial forecasters. The Manitoba government on Wednesday took the unprecedented step of opening the Red River Floodway, marking the first time […] Read more
Wet fall raises risk of Manitoba spring flood
Wet, cold weather dampens harvest progress
Alberta Crop Report: Conditions as of October 8
Reading Time: 6 minutes Most parts of the province experienced wet weather conditions in September and the month ended with a significant amount of snowfall in the south. In addition to wet conditions, average daily temperatures were below seasonal norms in most areas across the province over the past two weeks. Many places in Central and Southern Regions recorded […] Read more
Liberals pledge revamp of federal farm lender
The federal Liberals’ platform heading into the Oct. 21 election calls for an “expanded and enhanced” role for Farm Credit Canada in supporting the country’s agriculture and agrifood sectors. Platform documents released Sunday last week (Sept. 29) call for the merger of several existing federal financial and advisory services — which the Liberals said are […] Read more
Weather conditions put the chill on harvest progress
Alberta Crop Report: Conditions as of October 1
Reading Time: 5 minutes Harvest progress for major crops is 20 points behind the provincial 5-year average, but on par with progress for this reporting period last year. As compared to last week, 5 per cent more crop is in the bin. The Peace region is 34 points behind its 5-year average, followed by the North East at 25 […] Read more
Storms leave close to 1,000 hail claims on Prairies
MarketsFarm — There were almost 1,000 claims for hail damage across the Prairies following a series of storms Sept. 15-20, according to the Canadian Crop Hail Association (CCHA). The CCHA said the most destructive of the storms during that week came on Sept. 17. “There is significant damage from this late–season storm. There was heavy […] Read more
Alberta harvest progress behind in all regions
Alberta Crop Report: Conditions as of September 23
Reading Time: 5 minutes Accumulated precipitation in September has been varied across the province, from less than 20 mm in the eastern parts of the North West Region, western parts of the North East Region and central parts of the Peace Region, to upward of 30 mm in most areas in the Southern and Central Regions, and up to […] Read more
Ag extension staffer named Manitoba NDP ag critic
A former Manitoba provincial ag extension co-ordinator will be the new critic for agriculture on the opposition New Democrats’ bench. Manitoba NDP leader Wab Kinew on Friday announced a new shadow cabinet, appointing Diljeet Brar as his critic for agriculture and for sport, culture and heritage. Brar, a rookie MLA elected Sept. 10 in the […] Read more
Alberta to lift residency rule for public grazing lands
The Alberta government plans to remove a restriction on non-Albertans’ use of public lands for grazing, in a bid to smooth out paths for interprovincial trade. The province on Saturday announced it will do away with eight of its declared exceptions under the interprovincial Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA). Of the eight, three deal with […] Read more
Pearce: Autonomous platform makes Eastern Canada debut
It’s been dubbed “the future of agriculture” and for the first time, farmers in Eastern Canada had the opportunity to see the Dot A-U1 Power Platform with in-field demonstrations at Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show. The precision ag system, designed by Dot Technology Corp., attracted considerable attention going through its paces during the annual ag showcase, […] Read more
Harvest restarts in Alberta, late progress seen in all regions
Alberta Crop Report: Conditions as of September 17
Reading Time: 5 minutes Harvest operations have resumed in most parts of the province, thanks to warmer and windy conditions. However, progress has been slow, due to some shower activities bringing from less than one mm of rain in the eastern and southern parts of the province to upwards of 30 mm in some areas in the Peace Region. […] Read more