Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn and wheat futures fell on Wednesday after hitting 11-day highs a day earlier as traders waited for more bullish news before pushing grain prices above those recent peaks. Soybeans were firm, shedding overnight weakness, with investors hoping that export demand for U.S. supplies of the oilseed will remain strong […] Read more
U.S. grains: Corn, wheat futures ease
Chicago soybean futures firm
Winter unlikely to be a cure against drought
Reading Time: < 1 minute It’s not as bad as a year ago, but the moisture situation heading into winter wasn’t good either, the province said in its final Agricultural Moisture Situation Update of the season issued Oct. 25. A year ago, most of the province had moisture deficits that are only seen once every 25 to 50 years. Things […] Read more
Cold, snowy start seen to Prairies’ winter
MarketsFarm — Although the official calendar start to winter isn’t until Dec. 21, conditions on the Canadian Prairies are now winter-like, according to Weatherlogics chief scientist Scott Kehler. “For the month of November, it looks like we’re off to a cold start for most of the Prairies. The western Prairies… had quite a significant winter […] Read more
Drought gone in Manitoba but worsening in Alberta, AAFC reports
MarketsFarm — Record-breaking precipitation in southern Manitoba and eastern Saskatchewan helped improve moisture conditions in the region in April, taking much of the area out of the drought classification, according to the latest Drought Monitor report from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) for the period ended April 30. Two separate Colorado lows brought significant snow, […] Read more
Pulse weekly outlook: No worries about delayed planting in Manitoba
'Farmers can get stuff in pretty quick'
MarketsFarm — Despite an influx of snow across southern Manitoba, with more precipitation in the forecast for this week, a provincial pulse specialist isn’t too concerned about the potential for late planting of pulse crops. “The moisture is welcome, but it’s not the weather we would like to see at this time of the year. […] Read more
Most of Prairies still very dry, but recovery possible
Southern Manitoba considered out of drought
MarketsFarm — Despite the Prairies receiving above-normal amounts of precipitation during February, the great majority of the region remained highly vulnerable to more dryness going into spring, according to the Canadian Drought Monitor. The monitor’s latest report showed those areas of the Prairies tackling extreme drought to have retracted somewhat. As of Feb. 28, that […] Read more
Drought conditions ease slightly across Prairies
MarketsFarm — Mixed precipitation throughout January helped drought conditions improve across much of the Canadian Prairies during the month, according to the latest Drought Monitor report from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), released Tuesday. Conditions have deteriorated in some areas, however, and the majority of Western Canada was still in some kind of drought state. […] Read more
La Niña introduces itself with Prairie cold snap
MarketsFarm — The frigid conditions which had enveloped the Prairie provinces in recent weeks is a sign La Niña has come again, according to a Kansas-based meteorologist. Since mid-December, the Prairies have been in a deep freeze beginning with temperatures at least 10 C below-normal. Since the holiday season, many towns and cities in the […] Read more
Fall didn’t deliver — now we need a very snowy winter
Hope for wet, but plan for dry, say experts as drought conditions remain widespread in province
Reading Time: 5 minutes Much of Alberta will need as much as three times the usual amount of snow this winter to get out of drought conditions before spring, says an AgCanada agro-climate specialist. “We’re looking at 250 per cent to 300 per cent of normal snow accumulation or large snow accumulation added to early rainfall,” said Trevor Hadwen. […] Read more
Prairie winter weather a sign of La Nina repeat
Full effects won't be seen for a while yet
MarketsFarm — December marks the start of what meteorologists call “meteorological winter” — and this winter, the Pacific Ocean phenomenon known as La Nina may be rearing its head once again. La Nina (Spanish for “little girl”) is a climate pattern detected over the Pacific every few years where cooler water pools at the equator […] Read more