CNS Canada — Mounting dryness concerns in some of the prime durum-growing regions of Western Canada have likely already cut into yield prospects, which should support prices going forward. Canadian farmers intended to plant 5.5 million acres of durum this year, well above the 4.75 million seeded the previous year and the largest crop since […] Read more
Prices to rise as yield prospects drop for durum
Western states to get US$110M in drought aid
Washington | Reuters — The White House said Friday it would spend an additional US$110 million to help farmers and communities in western states hit hard by drought and wildfires. The drought has affected a third of the western United States, and President Barack Obama was slated to discuss it with western governors in a […] Read more
California curtails some senior water rights due to drought
Los Angeles | Reuters — California’s water board curtailed senior water rights on Friday in the state’s Delta, San Joaquin and Sacramento regions due to drought, in the first move of its kind during the current drought, officials said. The curtailment affects more than 100 senior water rights holders, with most of those located near […] Read more
Dry areas of Prairies still waiting for rain
CNS Canada –– The continued lack of moisture across a large portion of Alberta and Saskatchewan is becoming more of a concern for farmers in the region, but there is a chance of rain in some nearby forecasts. Shannon Friesen, a cropping management specialist for Saskatchewan Agriculture in Moose Jaw, said some livestock producers are […] Read more
Lethbridge feed barley feels slight lift from canola
CNS Canada — It seems the recent surge in canola has carried over to the feed barley market near Lethbridge. A weekend frost and other issues saw canola futures jump sharply in recent days, and according to trader Jim Beusekom at Market Place Commodities near Lethbridge, that rally has given strength to the feed barley […] Read more
West’s soaked, parched tax deferral zones expanded
More rural municipalities and counties that saw drought or excess moisture last year have been added to the federal list of areas where ranchers may now defer some of their 2014 taxable income. The federal government on Thursday rolled out its final list of designated areas for the 2014 tax year, adding to an already-long […] Read more
El Nino seen bringing drought to Brazil’s north, heavy rains to south
Sao Paulo | Reuters –– Brazil will likely experience a moderate El Nino by the end of the year, bringing steady rain to the country’s main grain-producing regions and sustained drought in the arid north, the national meteorological institute, Inmet, said. Inmet meteorologist Fabricio Daniel dos Santos Silva said six consecutive quarters of warming sea […] Read more
California water board approves voluntary cutback program by growers
Los Angeles | Reuters — California water regulators on Friday said they had approved a plan by some of the state’s most senior water rights holders to voluntary cut back water use by 25 per cent in exchange for assurances that they would not face further cuts during the growing season. So-called riparian growers in […] Read more
Alberta wetlands receive funding for conservation projects
More than 1,300 acres will be conserved or restored thanks to $11.6 million grant
Reading Time: < 1 minute Ducks Unlimited Canada will receive more than $11.6 million in grant funds for wetland conservation and restoration work to help reduce the impact of flooding and drought in Alberta. The funding comes from the Alberta government’s Watershed Resiliency and Restoration Program. Wetlands have the ability to store water and slow the release of water into […] Read more
Drought prompts cuts to farm irrigation in California, Oregon
Portland | Reuters –– The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation will cut the amount of federal irrigation water available to farmers along the Oregon-California border to half the annual norm as it grapples with a fourth year of regional drought, the agency said on Friday. Though the roughly 1,200 affected farms in the Klamath Basin had […] Read more
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