Flooding and rail bed washouts on sections of northern Manitoba’s Hudson Bay Railway have led the line’s owner to suspend its operations indefinitely. The closure of the portion of the line running from Amery, Man., about 50 km northeast of Gillam, north to Hudson Bay at Churchill, all but ensures no Prairie grain, other than […] Read more

Washouts shut Hudson Bay Railway for shipping season

Quebec sets up single line for flooded farmers
Quebec farmers whose operations have been hit by flooding in recent weeks will have a single number to call for provincial support starting Tuesday. The province’s agriculture ministry (MAPAQ), public security ministry (MSP) and ag lending agency, la Financiere agricole du Quebec (FADQ) on Friday announced a “concerted effort” to manage supports for flood-affected farms. […] Read more

Towns evacuated as heavy rains pelt Eastern Canada
Toronto/Ottawa | Reuters — Torrential rains lashed parts of central and Eastern Canada on Friday, causing flooding, flight delays and traffic disruptions, and the prime minister said the federal government was ready to provide help if necessary. The provinces of Ontario and Quebec have been dealing with the fallout of heavy spring rainfall this week, […] Read more
Quebec flooding forces hundreds from homes
Montreal | Reuters — Flooding in towns across Quebec has forced hundreds of residents from their homes, and public security officials fear water levels will rise further with forecasters expecting rain Friday, local media reported on Wednesday. Heavy rains early this week have flooded towns in several areas across the predominately French-language province, including two […] Read more

Eastern Prairies brace for April melt
CNS – It looks to be a soggy month of April for most farmers across the eastern portion of the Prairies. The three-month forecast, starting in April, for southern Saskatchewan calls for above-normal precipitation while the area around Winnipeg is expected to see a number of systems moving through the early part of the month. […] Read more

Manitoba storm may cause more than travel delays
CNS Canada –– Road closures across most of western Manitoba due to a late-winter storm are likely only the start of the headaches to come, as flooding and/or late seeding may be a reality in many areas this spring. Meteorologist Drew Lerner of World Weather Inc. in Kansas City said he was optimistic on moisture […] Read more

Major flood risks seen in southern Manitoba
Areas of Manitoba are at moderate to major risk of flooding, according to the province’s first full flood outlook for the spring. Levels of future snowfall and/or rainfall, the timing and speed of snowmelt, and the runoff timing in Manitoba, the U.S., Saskatchewan and Ontario are still “key factors,” the provincial government said Monday in […] Read more

Saskatchewan snowpack points to below-normal runoff
Thanks to above-normal temperatures that drew down much of Saskatchewan’s snowpack in January, the province now sees “below normal runoff potential” in most areas outside the southeast. Saskatchewan’s Water Security Agency on Thursday released its 2017 preliminary outlook for spring runoff, noting the province has another six to 10 weeks of possible snowpack development. The […] Read more

Smithfield sees pork operations back to normal Monday
Wilmington, N.C. | Reuters — Smithfield Foods expects to resume full production on Monday at its North Carolina meat operations, including the world’s largest pork plant, more than a week after Hurricane Matthew struck the U.S. Southeast and triggered widespread flooding in the state. Operations will get back to normal at Smithfield’s four North Carolina […] Read more

Millions of chickens reported dead in Hurricane Matthew floods
Chicago | Reuters — Flooding from Hurricane Matthew has killed up to five million poultry birds in North Carolina, most of them chickens, the state’s top environmental official said Wednesday. Donald van der Vaart, secretary of the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, also told Reuters that some pits that hold hog waste on farms […] Read more