young boy on a snowmobile

Mother Nature had us guessing ‘what next’ all year long

Five to Remember: There were hurricane-force winds in January, snow in September, and an unexpected bonus come October

Reading Time: 2 minutes A whole bunch of snow. Really wet. Really dry. Wet again. Snow in September. And finally a respite. It wasn’t Mother Nature at her worst, but she kept everyone on their toes right from the get-go. Bonnyville farmer Taylor Snyder was helping a neighbour unload canola on Jan. 15 when the winds began to howl, […] Read more


Since late- and second-cut alfalfa is too short to catch snow, Esther producer Curtis Hoffmann leaves strips of tall stubble to do the job.

In dry years, tall stubble can make all the difference in yields

Leaving tall stubble standing in the field can add an inch 
of soil moisture and boost yields by as much as 17 per cent


Reading Time: 3 minutes Large chunks of Alberta have seen some wet years recently, but water tends to be the most limiting factor for crop growth. And there’s only two remedies when it’s dry: Increase water supply and improve water-use efficiency, says an agrometeorologist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. Leaving tall stubble in the field does both those things, […] Read more