Winnipeg | Reuters — With drought turning Chad Ross’s pastures brown, the southeastern Saskatchewan rancher sent 140 head of cattle to slaughter earlier than usual this spring, as the Prairies’ three-year drought made them too expensive to feed. The ranch and feedlot near Estevan has lost money two straight years. Long-awaited rains that swept the […] Read more
Rain gives farmers relief, for now, from three-year drought
Flexibility available for farmers on FCC loan payments
Farm Credit Canada says it remains willing to work around the various forces majeures standing between its farmer clients and their cash flows this year. The Crown lending agency reiterated Monday it will work with customers “to come up with solutions for their operations on a case-by-case basis” in view of this spring’s weather worries […] Read more
Low moisture levels slow crop growth across Alberta
Alberta Crop Report: Conditions as of June 18
Reading Time: 5 minutes Since the beginning of June, some parts of Alberta (especially in the western and central areas) experienced a more normal weather pattern, receiving up to 100 mm of rain. However, conditions in the Southern Region, eastern parts of the Central and North East Regions, northern parts of the North West Region and northern half of […] Read more
Prairie drought reaches tipping point
MarketsFarm — The Prairie provinces have been under the influence of a large ridge of high pressure for a number of weeks, which has produced prolonged dryness with little precipitation. That high pressure system has pushed low-pressure, precipitation-carrying systems to the south, where the U.S. Midwest has already received significant rain. Environment Canada estimated the […] Read more
Don’t let those drought-stressed forages go to seed
You won’t get a lot of hay from that first cut but it gives you a chance of getting a second one
Reading Time: 2 minutes Determining the right time to cut a hay stand could mean the difference between harvesting a second cut or the stand becoming dormant, says a provincial forage and beef specialist. “A lack of sufficient moisture stresses plants, and that is certainly apparent this spring,” said Karin Lindquist. “Plants that do not get enough moisture are […] Read more
Seeding in Alberta complete, forage growers struggle with dry weather
Alberta Crop Report: Conditions as of June 11
Reading Time: 3 minutes With the exception of a few feed crops, seeding is essentially finished in Alberta. Producers are actively spraying and scouting fields. Areas of concern vary from smoke and frost in the north to flea beetles and cutworms in other pockets of the province. In the week ending June 11 there were rainfall events providing 15 […] Read more
Bayer to invest $7.5 billion in new herbicides
Berlin | Reuters — Bayer said it would invest five billion euros (C$7.5 billion) in developing new weedkillers and reducing its environmental impact by 30 per cent by 2030, as it seeks to address the fallout from U.S. class-action litigation over glyphosate. “While glyphosate will continue to play an important role in agriculture and in […] Read more
Don’t be shocked when electric fences underperform
Undersized wire, rusty rebar, and ‘rubber’ hoses are common mistakes on many ranches
Reading Time: 5 minutes Want to hear a Captain Obvious statement? Electric fences need to be able to shock animals enough to keep livestock in and predators out. The reality is many electric fences are not up to this basic task. Just ask Jason Williams, who tours the country teaching producers ways to make their electric fences more effective. […] Read more
Dry weather stalls crop growth, pastures well below five-year average
Alberta Crop Report: Conditions as of June 4
Reading Time: 3 minutes The recent warm weather helped with both seeding and crop emergence. In terms of seeding progress, producers are five points ahead of the five year average of 94 and are currently sitting at over 99 per cent complete. Across the province emergence average is now at 72 which is also higher than the five year […] Read more
Canadian crop development behind average
MarketsFarm — Crop development is running behind average across much of Canada, with excessive moisture delaying seeding in Ontario and dryness slowing crop development across the Prairies. That’s according to the latest satellite data from the federal Crop Condition Assessment Program (CCAP), created in partnership between Statistics Canada and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. Crop development […] Read more