Reuters — The El Nino phenomenon currently affecting weather is expected to weaken during the Northern Hemisphere spring and transition to normal conditions by late spring or early summer, a U.S. government weather forecaster said Thursday. The Climate Prediction Center (CPC), an agency of the National Weather Service, was in line in its monthly forecast […] Read more
U.S. forecaster sees El Nino conditions weakening
The road to better soil health comes from a change in attitude
Spend lots of time digging holes and looking at soil in your fields, says Quebec researcher
Reading Time: 3 minutes Improve your soil health and increased yields and other benefits will follow. But first you need to change your priorities. “How much time do you spend in a year taking care of your tractor?” agricultural engineer Odette Menard asked attendees at last month’s Western Canada Conference on Soil Health. “We spend more time taking care […] Read more
Humble earthworms are a benefit to your soil
Earthworm activity can make your soil a better place
Reading Time: 2 minutes If you want to make your soil better, you need to start with earthworms. Healthy soils have strong earthworm populations and you can gauge their numbers by the presence of middens, little piles of residue, says Quebec researcher Odette Menard. “When I see a lot of middens, I know it’s a healthy field. If I […] Read more
Klassen: Feeder cattle jump on renewed buying interest
During the first full week of January, western Canadian feeder cattle traded $10-$15 higher compared to late December. In some cases, calves under 600 lbs. were $15-$20 higher. Strength in the nearby fed cattle market, along with the firmer tone to live cattle futures, set a positive tone. Alberta packers were buying fed cattle in […] Read more
Study finds Canadian beef’s GHG footprint shrunk over 30 years
Efficiencies in cattle production and feeding have allowed Canada’s beef industry to produce the same weight in beef as 30 years ago with smaller breeding herds, less land — and smaller greenhouse gas (GHG) output, a new study finds. The study, led by research scientist Tim McAllister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in Lethbridge, with […] Read more
That work you hate pays very well
If you’re still running the farm on a cash basis, you’re tying one hand behind your back
Reading Time: 2 minutes Nearly three decades ago, a study of farmers’ work priorities found — to no one’s surprise — that record-keeping ranked well behind field work; buying and selling machinery and crops; and equipment repair. Only 16 per cent hired outside help for record-keeping, 50 per cent did it themselves and 20 per cent named their spouse […] Read more
U.S. livestock: CME live cattle tumble limit down
Chicago | Reuters –– Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle contracts ended Thursday’s session down by their three cents/lb. daily price limit, rattled by lower preliminary cash prices and deteriorating U.S. stock futures amid China’s economic woes, traders said. February live cattle and April ended at 133.525 cents and 134.3 cents, respectively (all figures US$). Live […] Read more
Sympathy for jailed ranchers, anger at occupiers in Oregon town
Burns, Ore. | Reuters — Residents of the Oregon town thrust into the spotlight after self-styled militiamen took over a U.S. wildlife refuge voiced sympathy for the jailed ranchers whose plight inspired the action but were critical of the armed protesters. Saturday’s takeover of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge outside the town of Burns, Ore., […] Read more
El Nino seen declining, to return to neutral by Q2
Sydney | Reuters — The 2015-16 El Nino weather event, one of the three strongest in the past 50 years, has peaked in recent weeks and will likely return to “ENSO neutral” by the second quarter of this year, Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) said on Tuesday. The El Nino phenomenon is driven by warm […] Read more
Oregon activists picked the wrong battle, militia leaders say
Reuters — Self-styled militia members who seized federal property in rural Oregon in an effort to galvanize opposition to the U.S. government appear to have made a tactical error — potential allies say they picked the wrong battle. As armed anti-government activists occupied a snowy wildlife refuge for a third day to call attention to […] Read more