CNS Canada — Feed grain prices in Alberta have come down as producers have rushed to sell downgraded crops. “Last week the phones were blowing up… right now I think we’re seeing some better weather, so everyone’s outside and the phones are probably going to light up again next week,” said Nelson Neumann, grain trader […] Read more

Feed weekly outlook: Grains flood Alberta market
Cold weather, snowfall, slow harvest progress further
Alberta crop conditions as of October 2, 2018
Reading Time: 2 minutes The month of September has been exceptionally cold across the province and, for many areas, unusually wet. Although cool damp weather conditions have halted harvest operations in many areas, this has led to normal precipitation accumulations for most areas of the province. Adding to this was the large snowfall event in the southern and western […] Read more

It was more Standstill than September for many
Many weren’t able to ‘turn a wheel’ during what should be the golden days of autumn
Reading Time: 4 minutes It was a September that will be remembered for all the wrong reasons. “Harvest is at a standstill and it’s been that way for about three weeks now,” Alberta Wheat chair Kevin Bender said as the month came to a close. “For the most part, guys haven’t been able to turn a wheel yet.” Bender, […] Read more

Opinion: A cheerful wave or sympathetic ear this harvest season really does help
A little empathy will be much appreciated during this year’s long and difficult harvest
Reading Time: 2 minutes Please don’t read this as a complaint; this isn’t meant to be a complaint. With the recent snows in Alberta over the past two weeks, there are a lot of farmers on edge. So many farmers haven’t even turned a wheel in their fields, or if they have, they are either drying their grain or […] Read more

Pulse weekly outlook: Lentil yields look good, worries grow over peas
CNS Canada — It’s a mixed bag in many ways for Saskatchewan’s pulse crops this year, as a dry summer and late rains have meant different things for various crops. According to one industry expert, though, the overall picture doesn’t look bad. “I think overall, if you assess the entire province, it will come in […] Read more

Feed weekly outlook: Downgrades likely for Alberta crops
CNS Canada — Snow and wet weather through a large swath of northern and central Alberta are causing havoc for farmers and will likely put more feed grains into the market. But normal harvest price discounts are still not as great as expected, said Susanne Leclerc of Market Master Ltd. in Edmonton. Feed grain prices […] Read more

Prairie harvest window possible next week
CNS Canada — Cold and wet conditions on the Prairies are expected to clear up over the next week, allowing a window of opportunity for harvest, though the size of that window remains to be seen. “Western and northern parts of Alberta have some serious issues,” said Drew Lerner of World Weather Inc. in Kansas […] Read more

Springtime can be the ‘right time’ for really big snowstorms
When a buildup of warm, moist air from the south collides with cold arctic air, your snowblower can get a real workout
Reading Time: 3 minutes With spring officially here, the last thing most people want to hear about is snow. But the way this winter and spring have been going, who knows? Springtime across the Prairies tends to bring some of the biggest snowfalls of the year. Several years ago I dug into this topic, but I figured it was time […] Read more

Dry winter is just what’s needed
Reading Time: < 1 minute The so-far dry winter in Alberta is raising hopes that farmers will be able to get onto their fields early in order to deal with more than one million acres of unharvested crops. As of Jan. 31, snowpack accumulations were generally below normal in most areas (save for southern Alberta, where little to no snow […] Read more

B.C. police stop farmer clearing snowy street with Zamboni
Vancouver | Reuters — Police stopped a “well-intentioned” farmer on Vancouver Island on Monday night after he tried to clear a snowed-in neighbourhood street with a Zamboni, a vehicle for cleaning ice rinks and a fixture in arenas across Canada. Central Saanich police spokesman Dan Cottingham said on Tuesday the man told them he had […] Read more