Canada's abnormally dry winter is worsening drought conditions across the western provinces, where most of the country's oil, gas, forest products and grain are produced.
Western Canada’s dry winter heralds worsening drought for 2024
Oil and gas, hydro, forestry, sports affected alongside agriculture
Agrirecovery deadline approaches
Reading Time: < 1 minute Applications for the 2023 Canada-Alberta Drought Livestock Assistance initiative close at midnight Jan. 15. Benefits will be based on a feed-need calculation for feed costs incurred due to lost grazing days for eligible breeding animals on hand as of Dec. 31, 2023. Eligible producers must: be located (livestock or residence) in specified municipalities; have altered […] Read more
Brazil’s soybean harvest kicks off with low yields in Mato Grosso
Crops suffered from lack of humidity; now rains are hampering harvest in some areas
Brazilian soybean farmers have begun to reap their 2023/24 soybean crop, covering some 0.6 per cent of the national planted area as of last Thursday, agribusiness consultancy AgRural said on Monday.
Alberta government seeks water supply insight
Reading Time: < 1 minute The Alberta government is issuing a request for proposal to help conduct modelling throughout the winter and to work with municipalities, water users, industry and others to explore ways to maximize the province’s water supply, if needed. Along with the request, government officials are meeting with municipalities, water users, farmers, industry and others to share […] Read more
Opinion: Water for our world
Is this dry year going to seem like a wet one in our parched future?
Reading Time: 3 minutes As I flew over Alberta, the brown earth contrasted sharply with the blue sky. It’s an ideal picture in fall or even spring, but this was late November and not a snowflake or raindrop had quenched the open fields. I recalled past seasons, with both bitter cold and massive snow, as well as balmy days, […] Read more
Brazilian farmers slow fertilizer buys as drought dampens corn-planting plans
Fertilizer companies are already dealing with lower profits as prices sag
Brazil's drought is causing farmers there to delay fertilizer purchases for their upcoming corn-planting season, denting sales for global fertilizer suppliers in the world's top corn-exporting country, executives told Reuters.
Winter brings no break for drought management
Herd culling and feeding strategies will be top of mind for cattle producers as drought aftermath drags into winter
Reading Time: 3 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – Even by the standards of her drought-prone region, the past year has been the worst for moisture since 1949 on Jesse Williams’s ranch in Alberta’s Special Area No. 2. “It wasn’t a fun year,” said the Whiskey Creek Ranch owner. “Of the worst 10 droughts in history for my township, I’ve been […] Read more
Farmers urged to use marginal land for forage
Ducks Unlimited Canada, Farm Credit Canada lauch program to turn uneconomical farmland into perennial forage
Reading Time: 2 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – A new program sponsored by Ducks Unlimited Canada and supported by Farm Credit Canada hopes to spur producers to turn uneconomical farmland into perennial forage. The Marginal Areas Program on the Prairies is open to producers in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, with DUC providing financial support to convert unproductive cropland to forage […] Read more
Locked out of drought help? Give moisture insurance a try
Moisture deficit insurance may help drought-stricken livestock producers in the future
Reading Time: 3 minutes Alberta livestock producers frozen out of the new Canada-Alberta Drought Livestock Assistance program may want to consider an under-utilized insurance program in the future, said a representative from the program administrators. The AgriRecovery-based program was recently introduced to help livestock producers who faced extraordinary costs accessing feed in 2023. However, it doesn’t cover all of […] Read more
Forage sources sought
Reading Time: < 1 minute As winter begins, cattle and sheep producers are reassessing their forage needs and sources to ensure they have adequate feed for the winter. Neil Blue, provincial crops market analyst with the Alberta government, says although the early season dry weather allowed hay crops to be harvested in good condition, there were lower than average yields. […] Read more
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