spring Archives | Alberta Farmer Express

Cold spring weather expected for Prairies

By Marlo Glass – MarketsFarm, GFM Network News April 9, 2020

MarketsFarm — Temperatures in the Prairie provinces are expected to be colder than average this spring. “There’s no indication that temperatures will be above normal,” said Bruce Burnett, director of markets and weather for MarketsFarm in Winnipeg. Low temperatures will likely cause issues for seeding in areas of the Prairies that have received late-spring snowstorms. […] Read more

Barley, Crops, Markets

Feed weekly outlook: Spring rally unlikely

By Phil Franz-Warkentin, GFM Network News March 26, 2020

MarketsFarm — Feed grain bids in Western Canada have held relatively steady over the past month despite large moves in many outside markets. However, a number of factors may weigh on values heading into the spring. Feed barley is trading in the $4-$4.95 per bushel area in Alberta, according to Prairie Ag Hotwire data. Prices […] Read more

Barley, Crops, Markets

Feed weekly outlook: Seasonal restrictions underpin grains

Coronavirus fallout being watched

By Phil Franz-Warkentin, GFM Network News March 14, 2020

MarketsFarm — Seasonal weight restrictions and spring road bans are providing some underlying support for feed grain bids in Western Canada, with the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak also being followed closely. “Winter weights are coming off, which is restricting the areas (feedlots) can pull from,” said Allen Pirness, of MarketPlace Commodities in Lethbridge, adding “there’s a […] Read more

General, Weather

Abrupt mid-March shift into spring predicted

By MarketsFarm February 26, 2019

Winter conditions are expected to remain the norm across the Canadian Prairies through the middle of March, when a sudden pattern change brings an abrupt start to spring, according to the latest seasonal forecast from The Weather Network. The quick move from cold to warm conditions raises the risk of flooding in areas with a […] Read more

General, Reuters, Weather

U.S. forecaster sees 90 per cent chance of El Nino in winter

By Reuters December 13, 2018

Reuters — There is a 90 per cent chance of the El Nino weather pattern emerging during the Northern Hemisphere winter of 2018-19, a U.S. government weather forecaster said on Thursday. “The official forecast favours the formation of a weak El Nino,” the National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center (CPC) said in a monthly forecast. […] Read more

Crops, Weather

Wet spring hampers Prairie fertilizer timetable

By Dave Sims March 9, 2017

CNS Canada — This week’s dump of snow in eastern Saskatchewan and western Manitoba will likely push back fieldwork and fertilizer applications on a lot of farms, according to one crop watcher. Keystone Agricultural Producers president Dan Mazier, speaking from a conference in the U.S., said only about 50 per cent of the normal amount […] Read more

This map shows the total amount of precipitation compared to average for the agricultural year which started in September 2015. Even with the light snow cover this winter, thanks to a wetter-than-average fall, precipitation amounts are around average across most of the Prairies. The exceptions are in parts of west-central Manitoba and northwestern Alberta.

Weather

Could this be one of the warmest springs on record?

AccuWeather is forecasting an exceptionally warm and dry spring —  and it has good reasons for making such a bold prediction

By Daniel Bezte March 4, 2016

AccuWeather came out early in February with its spring weather prediction, so I figured that maybe I should join in and take a look at what the different forecasters are calling for this spring. After all, meteorological spring starts on the first day of March (March-April-May). In what I think is a pretty bold move, AccuWeather […] Read more

Alberta’s winter wheat fields seem to have survived the wintertime highs and lows seen across the province.

Cereals, Crops

Winter wheat weathered Alberta’s wacky winter

Itching to check your winter wheat crop? Wait until spring seeding to give it time to recover, says Janine Paly

By Jennifer Blair April 29, 2015

Alberta’s weird winter weather conditions didn’t seem to wreck winter wheat crops across the province, says a local winter wheat agronomist. “From our spring assessment, the majority of the fields has very little damage, even with the unusual winter conditions we experienced across the Prairies,” said Janine Paly of Ducks Unlimited Canada. The Ducks Unlimited […] Read more

Crops

Ready to pull the trigger? Some thoughts on seeding early

A head start is tempting, but frost dates and saprophytic organisms may curb your enthusiasm

By Alexis Kienlen April 14, 2015

To seed early or not to seed early; that is the question. “If you have an early spring, there is that tendency to want to go early,” said Doon Pauly, agronomy research scientist with Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development in Lethbridge. “I’m fully expecting that we will be in the field by the middle of […] Read more

The soil moisture situation looks worse in the north than it likely is, said Alberta Agriculture’s Ralph Wright. “It’s under snow. The snow still has to melt and recharge the soil moisture.” (click image for full view)

News

It’s getting dry — is it time to worry?

No, says weather expert, but areas across the province are on Bruce Burnett’s watch list

By Alexis Kienlen, Jennifer Blair March 30, 2015

With warm-weather records dropping like flies and bare fields drying out in parts of the province, is there trouble ahead? Don’t worry yet, says Bruce Burnett, weather and crops specialist at the CWB. “I don’t think that this early-spring weather means that we are necessarily headed for a drought,” Burnett said in a March 20 […] Read more

China’s slower meat imports seen worsening its protein shortage

U.S. forecaster says La Nina expected to develop in fall 2020

G3’s new Vancouver terminal clears commissioning phase

GFM Network News