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
Opinion: Water for our world
Is this dry year going to seem like a wet one in our parched future?
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
Letter to the editor: AgriRecovery too limited for cattle sector
Reading Time: 3 minutes Thank you for the recent article about feed assistance in Alberta Farmer Express. I would like to add to this. I am a cattle producer in northern Alberta. We did receive some rain in late August, but too late for our first and often only cut of hay. Our area does not qualify for the […] Read more
Province blames feds for limits to new beef program
Only approved municipalities will benefit from new CADLA program, raising producer ire
Reading Time: 3 minutes The provincial government is blaming the feds for a controversial condition in a new risk management program aimed at beef producers. The recently-announced Canada-Alberta Drought Livestock Assistance (CADLA) program has raised the ire of beef producers across Alberta. They’re unhappy that only growers in certain municipalities (mostly in the northwest and southern ends of the […] Read more
AgriRecovery feed, freight, breeding herd aid set for Alberta, Saskatchewan, B.C.
Feds, provinces announce combined $365 million in aid programs
The federal and Alberta, Saskatchewan and British Columbia governments are jointly putting up $365 million to support ranchers and farmers up against this summer’s drought and wildfire damage. The feds on Friday announced their 60 per cent, or $219 million, share of AgriRecovery program funding for the three westernmost provinces. “I’ve had the opportunity to […] Read more
New drought in Argentina threatens ‘massive losses’
Rosario Grains Exchange report sees little relief on horizon
Reading Time: < 1 minute Argentina’s core agricultural farmland could suffer “massive losses” in wheat yields due to another drought, the Rosario Grains Exchange warns, even as the country reels from a drought in the last cycle deemed the worst in 60 years. The exchange has not yet changed its forecast for a 15 million tonne wheat harvest for the […] Read more
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