Alberta releases updated drought response plan

Alberta releases updated drought response plan

Response plan to rate drought severity in Alberta river basins

Reading Time: < 1 minute The Province of Alberta has updated its drought response plan to include a drought ranking system to rate drought severity in Alberta river basins.




Graphic: Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

Canadian drought conditions improve: AAFC

Shifting weather patterns helped drought conditions significantly improve across much of Canada in May, with the most significant improvements seen through the southern Prairies where an upper-level low provided cooler and unsettled conditions bringing well above-normal precipitation, according to the latest drought monitor report from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada showing conditions as of May 31. […] Read more


Photo: Thinkstock

Don’t fear FITFIR, says Alberta water expert

Rights holders likely to negotiate in times of water shortage

Reading Time: 5 minutes Alberta river and reservoir levels remain lower than normal and water availability continues to worry irrigators. Will there be enough water to go around? What happens if there isn’t? Answers can be found in the province’s current Water Act, passed in 1999, which contains the same “first in time, first in right” (FITFIR) system that […] Read more

Cattle are turned out on pasture near Priddis west of Calgary in mid-May. Recent precipitation in the area has improved field and pasture outlooks and helped reduce wildfire risk.

Better weather winds for 2024 grazing season

Prairie provinces received vital rains in April and May

Reading Time: 4 minutes The grazing season has had some memorably bad starts in recent years, but 2024 promises to break the cycle across much of the Prairies. “This is the best start we’ve had for a year for a long time,” said Graeme Finn, founder of Union Forage and rancher near Crossfield, Alta. “These pastures now are looking […] Read more


The fill station at Viking features a measurement tracking system for selling raw water.

Viking turns on the taps of new water initiative

Farmers around Viking to enjoy raw filtered watering system

Reading Time: 3 minutes The town of Viking in central Alberta is ready if Mother Nature turns off the tap again in 2024.  This time, if drought rears its ugly head, local farmers can use a new raw water pumping station built within the town’s existing infrastructure.  Viking celebrated its new layer of drought protection during a grand opening […] Read more

The Athabasca River in Jasper National Park.

Alberta to study snowpack with more accuracy

LiDAR employed to provide more spatially precise data

Reading Time: 2 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – The Government of Alberta is working with a research team at the University of Lethbridge to measure the snowpack in southern Alberta more accurately, according to a news release. The measurements will help guide water management policies and practices as the province works to better manage its water resources. For seven months […] Read more