An interesting weather pattern is currently in place across western North America with Tropical Storm Hilary taking an unusual northerly track as it comes in off the Pacific Ocean south of California. Tropical storms or hurricanes in that region normally do one of two things: they either recurve back out into the Pacific, or move […] Read more
Prairie Forecast Update: Southern areas may get Hilary’s leftovers
Issued Aug. 20, covering Aug. 20-23
B.C. wildfires intensify, evacuation orders double
Rain helping slow fires near Yellowknife
Kelowna | Reuters — Forest fires in British Columbia intensified on Saturday, with the number of people under evacuation orders doubling from a day earlier, as authorities warned of difficult days ahead. The province declared a state of emergency on Friday to access temporary authoritative powers to tackle fire-related risks, as out-of-control fires ripped through […] Read more
Pilot plan to cut red tape for reliable TFW employers
Farm employers can apply starting next month
Canada’s temporary foreign worker (TFW) program is set to give farms a head start in an express lane expected to cut the annual paperwork for that program’s most “trusted employers.” Federal Employment and Workforce Development Minister Randy Boissonault last week launched a three-year pilot meant to “help to address labour shortages and reduce the administrative […] Read more
Prairie Forecast: Upper ridge to bring the heat
Issued Aug. 16, covering Aug. 16-23
After going through a couple of weeks of tough forecasting, with little agreement among the weather models, this forecast period is looking a little more stable with the two main weather models for our region in basic agreement. We start off this forecast with a low over Manitoba that is quickly moving east. To the […] Read more
Prairie Forecast Update: Low to chug through mid-week
Issued Aug. 13, covering Aug. 13-16
The weather models seem to have come to an agreement on the area of low pressure forecasted to come in off the Pacific around mid-week. It looks like the energy from this system will quickly spin up an area of low pressure over north-central Alberta on Tuesday. The low will then quickly deepen and track […] Read more
Prairie Forecast: Cooler and unsettled
Issued Aug. 9, covering Aug. 9 to 16
First off, I must apologize for not producing an update to the last forecast; I had the opportunity to do some backwoods camping, which meant I was off the grid for about five days. I’m back now, and from the weather model runs I’ve been able to check out, this forecast period is going to […] Read more
B.C. longshore workers ratify new deal
Minister pledges review of 'how disruption on this scale unfolded'
Longshore workers at British Columbia’s seaports have voted to accept the terms of a new four-year labour deal, ending five weeks of labour outages at Canada’s West Coast. Negotiators with the B.C. Maritime Employers Association (BCMEA) and International Labour and Warehouse Union (ILWU Canada), working with the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB), reached a new […] Read more
Central Alberta fruit and vegetable producers find success in co-operative effort
By banding together in a closed co-op, Innisfail Growers members say they can be more successful individually
Reading Time: 4 minutes Market gardens and farmers markets might have a bucolic reputation but they’re a tough business. Buyers expect quality, flavour and, most importantly, variety. They’re not interested in a stand with a single product such as carrots, beets or strawberries. They want the whole produce basket. For a single grower to meet those expectations is a […] Read more
Prairie Forecast: Summer heat to build back in
Issued July 19, covering July 19 to 26
It looks like the overall weather pattern is going to undergo another shift. After nearly two weeks of unseasonably cool and unsettled weather over the eastern half of the Prairies, with near-average conditions over the west, it looks like more typically summer weather will move back in. The massive area of low pressure that spun […] Read more
At Ag in Motion: New ‘Soil Champions’ team to promote soil health
'Societies live and die by soil'
A new group of “Soil Champions” has been formed to promote the benefits of soil health. This new committee — announced Wednesday at the Ag in Motion farm show at Langham, Sask. — will work to ensure the care and protection of Canada’s agricultural soil through education, knowledge transfer, forums for collaboration and other activities. […] Read more