Reuters – Millers and bakers are draining wheat reserves and paying more for spring wheat used in baking, as drought shrivels crops across the Canadian Prairies and northern U.S. Plains that produce more than half of the world’s supply. U.S. and Canadian farmers are bracing for a sharply smaller spring wheat harvest due to the […] Read more
Millers, bakers fret as drought withers North America’s spring wheat
Cattle groups lay out a four-part drought action plan to government
Livestock tax deferral, AgriRecovery, and quick access to withered crops are all priorities
Reading Time: 3 minutes The Canadian Cattlemen’s Association and provincial cattle organizations have a plan to help drought-stricken beef producers. But quick action is needed, they say. The groups outlined a four-part strategy for immediate relief measures requested from federal and provincial governments during a CCA virtual Town Hall on July 19. All provincial cattle organizations, including Alberta Beef […] Read more
Heatwave wreaks havoc on Alberta crops
Governments are rushing to help but fears are mounting as the crisis grows
Reading Time: 6 minutes July’s devastating heatwave has destroyed crops and pastures across Alberta, leaving producers in all corners of the province wondering what their options are at this point of the growing season. “It’s been pretty hard,” said Valerie Ehrenholz, who runs a mixed operation near Barrhead with her father. “I haven’t been farming that long — the […] Read more
DISASTER: Hope dries up along with the pastures and fields
Everyone is hurting but the fallout for the cattle sector may be felt for years to come
Reading Time: 6 minutes The effect of the arid spring and the blistering July heatwave will be felt “for years to come.” “On a scale of one to 10, I’d put this at a 10 — it’s extremely severe,” said Melanie Wowk, chair of Alberta Beef Producers. “The herd will shrink — not just out of this province, but […] Read more
Webinar on drought and cattle
Reading Time: < 1 minute With much of the Prairies suffering drought, the Beef Cattle Research Council is putting on a webinar to answer questions about topics such as non-traditional feeds, grazing something new, water quality, animal health concerns and general questions about managing cattle during a drought. A panel of nutrition and animal health experts will answer drought-related nutrition […] Read more
Tax deferrals, crop insurance changes en route against drought
Assessments underway for AgriRecovery, minister says
Updated — As the federal government looks to manage impacts of ongoing drought conditions in Canada’s West, producers in parts of five provinces can already expect to be eligible for the livestock tax deferral program. Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau announced Thursday in Winnipeg that producers in drought-designated areas of southern Alberta, southeastern British Columbia, northwestern […] Read more
Alberta crop insurance payout could exceed $1 billion
It’s too early for accurate estimates but the scale of the disaster is massive, says provincial crop insurer
Reading Time: 3 minutes Crop insurance payouts could top a billion dollars for the devastating drought that has hit much of Alberta. “We collected about $600 million in premiums this year, so we’re looking potentially at payments twice that amount,” said Darryl Kay, CEO of Agriculture Financial Services Corporation (AFSC.) “It’s really early yet, so it’s hard to speculate […] Read more
Saskatchewan raises salvage threshold for parched crops
Stock watering program also boosted; APAS, Tories' ag critic had called for more drought aid
Saskatchewan’s provincial crop insurance agency is raising the yield threshold at which drought-damaged crops can be grazed, baled for greenfeed or cut for silage with no penalty on future coverage. Saskatchewan Crop Insurance Corp. said Wednesday it would double the “low yield appraisal” threshold values on cereal or pulse crop acres put to feed. SCIC […] Read more
Province funds watershed protection
Reading Time: < 1 minute In the midst of the outcry over coal mining and its impact on water, the provincial government is giving $1 million to Cows and Fish for “projects and initiatives that protect creeks and streams along Alberta’s Eastern Slopes.” The organization, formally called the Alberta Riparian Habitat Management Society, will work with other groups on specific […] Read more
A crystal ball to predict drought
Reading Time: < 1 minute Ag Canada says its new Drought Outlook tool can predict likely drought conditions one month into the future. The tool uses Drought Monitor assessments along with precipitation and temperature forecasts from Environment Canada. It features two side-by-side maps — one showing drought conditions as of a particular date and a linked one predicting the ‘drought […] Read more
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