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
Rain on the plains makes for good crop gains
Alberta crop conditions as of June 19, 2018
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
Mustard looking to rebound, if weather co-operates
CNS Canada — Canadian mustard acres may be up on the year, but key growing regions missed out on recent rain and will need more moisture as the season progresses, in order to prevent a repeat of 2017’s drought-stricken crop. “Mustard was offering some profit potential compared to some of the other options out there, […] 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
New cropping business tools available
Reading Time: < 1 minute The 2018 versions of Cropping Alternatives and the new Crop Budget Calculator tool are now available. They allow producers to project costs, margins, and break-even yields for potential crops. Cropping Alternatives “forecasts margins based on benchmark yields, current cost of production, expected revenues, and costs by soil zone. With this information producers can get an […] Read more
Fields with wireworms needed for 2018 research
The beetle larvae can live in the soil for up to five years, and there are no insecticides available to control
Reading Time: 2 minutes Wireworms are a big problem in Alberta fields, and an entomologist is seeking help from farmers to find ways to control them. “We have a lot to learn about wireworms,” said Haley Catton who works at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Lethbridge research station. “We need to do a lot more research to figure out how […] Read more
Prairie mustard acreage depends on spring moisture
CNS Canada — The 2018 mustard crop in Western Canada could hit half a million acres according to an industry expert, but he cautions that number could be much lower if dry soil conditions persist until spring. In 2017, there were 385,000 acres of mustard seed planted in Western Canada, down from 525,000 acres in […] Read more
Snow, killing frost puts brakes on harvest, crop quality better than expected so far
Alberta crop conditions as of October 3
Reading Time: 2 minutes Over the weekend, an intense and large system delivered cold, wet weather across the province which caused significant snowfall in some areas and brought killing frost to almost all areas across the province. The recently wet conditions also increased soil moisture levels, especially, in the Southern and Central Regions, pausing the harvest operations for a […] Read more
Reckitt cuts the (French’s) mustard with food business sale
London | Reuters — U.S. spices maker McCormick and Co. Inc. has won the battle to buy Reckitt Benckiser Group’s North American food business, paying a higher than expected US$4.2 billion to add extra seasonings and sauces. London-listed Reckitt said in April it was reviewing options for the unit, which includes French’s mustard and Frank’s […] Read more
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