“Pointing a withered finger at agriculture as the culprit doesn’t hold ground because we are only a speck on the landscape. Only 4.3 per cent of Canadian soil is currently arable.” – Brenda Schoepp.

Opinion: Water for our world

Is this dry year going to seem like a wet one in our parched future?

Reading Time: 3 minutes As I flew over Alberta, the brown earth contrasted sharply with the blue sky. It’s an ideal picture in fall or even spring, but this was late November and not a snowflake or raindrop had quenched the open fields. I recalled past seasons, with both bitter cold and massive snow, as well as balmy days, […] Read more

Prairie forecast: Mild and dry weather right up to the holidays

Prairie forecast: Mild and dry weather right up to the holidays

Issued Dec. 13, covering Dec. 13 to Dec. 25

Here is the big picture: there are two current storm tracks across North America. The first, which is well to our north, is the storm track that would normally be across our region. So far this winter, it has been displaced to our north – one of the reasons we have been dry. The second storm track is well to the south across the southern U.S. This places us under a rather slack flow as we oscillate between pushes of warm and cool air with each passage of low-pressure to our north.


The textbook version of the temperature profiles for the four main types of precipitation.

Precipitation and atmospheric temperature profiles

The precipitation we receive depends on the air it meets along the way

Reading Time: 3 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – Precipitation is a vital aspect of Earth’s climate and plays a significant role in shaping our environment. From gentle drizzles to heavy snowfall, precipitation comes in various forms, each with unique characteristics and formation conditions. This week we’ll delve into different types of precipitation and the atmospheric conditions necessary for their creation. […] Read more

Prairie forecast: Average to above average temperatures to continue

Prairie forecast: Average to above average temperatures to continue

Issued Dec. 6, covering Dec. 6 to Dec. 13

With no big storm system impacting our region, the weather models have been doing a good job with the forecasts over the last few weeks. As we start to move closer and closer towards the middle of winter, the longer we can keep the warm air around, the shorter we can hope winter will be. With that said, here is what the big picture is looking like over the next seven or so days.



CBOT January 2024 soybeans with Bollinger bands (20,2). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Soybeans tumble on downpours in drought-stricken Brazil

Wheat rises after Russian attack on Ukraine port; CBOT corn eases

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago soybean futures lost more than one per cent on Wednesday as rain fell in Brazil, easing worries over the persistent dryness and heat that has plagued crops in the top exporting nation, analysts said. Wheat rose on shipping concerns in the Black Sea after Russia’s strike on port infrastructure, while […] Read more



The next few weeks indicate relatively mild temperatures but snowfall is a wild card, said Andrew Pritchard, senior meteorologist with Nutrien Ag Solutions.

Meteorologist predicts ‘moderately strong’ El Nino on the Prairies

Potential benefits likely won’t be felt until 2024 growing season

Reading Time: 4 minutes This winter’s El Nino isn’t likely to replenish moisture reserves on the Prairies – at least not directly. Early forecasts spoke of a “super” El Nino this winter marked by an abundance of snow and mild temperatures. Experts have since stepped it back to a “moderately strong” system with a possibility of mild temperatures. Precipitation […] Read more