MarketsFarm — Drought conditions expanded across Alberta and Saskatchewan in October, with very little precipitation across the agricultural regions of the two provinces since August. That’s according to the latest Canadian Drought Monitor from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, as of Oct. 31. At the end of that month, 72 per cent of the Prairie region […] Read more

Drought expands across western Prairies

These are anything but normal times in the markets, says analyst
There’s not one, but three, powerful new factors at play — war, tight supplies, and rising interest rates
Reading Time: 4 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – We live in strange times, says a veteran market analyst. “I look at these markets as bipolar in some cases,” said Mike Jubinville, senior analyst with MarketsFarm. “On one hand, the macroeconomics have potentially bearish demand implications as fears of a recessionary environment take hold. But on the other hand, we have […] Read more

Christmas came in June this year on most farms
On most farms, taps were only turned on for a short while — but the timing was perfect
Reading Time: 4 minutes If you were to tell the story of the 2022 growing season in Alberta, it would be impossible not to mention that rainfall. “The story of the year is June rainfall,” said Stuart Chutter, senior analyst with the Agriculture Financial Services Corporation. [RELATED] Rain sprouts hope among southern Alberta farmers The growing season started out […] Read more

Farm climate innovation commitments at COP27 double to US$8 billion
Agriculture could outpace other industries to net zero: Vilsack
Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt | Reuters — An initiative led by the United States and the United Arab Emirates to help agriculture adapt to climate change and reduce emissions through innovation has doubled investment commitments to US$8 billion and extended its reach, it said on Friday. The Agriculture Innovation Mission for Climate (AIM for Climate) was […] 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

Ukraine keeps 2023 winter wheat sowing area forecast unchanged despite delays
Kyiv | Reuters – Ukraine is keeping its forecast of the winter wheat sowing area for the 2023 harvest unchanged at 3.8 million hectares despite a delay caused by unfavourable weather, deputy agriculture minister Taras Vysotskiy told Reuters on Tuesday. Ukraine sowed more than 6 million hectares of winter wheat for the 2022 harvest, but […] Read more

Nigeria’s flooding spreads to Delta, upending lives, livelihoods
Over a million acres of farmland damaged, wrecked
Rivers State, Nigeria | Reuters — People wade through fast-flowing water, holding one another to avoid being swept away, balancing suitcases, clothing and food on their heads. The torrent was, until recently, the East-West Road in Nigeria’s Rivers state, the gateway to the nation’s oil and gas. Now parts of Rivers, along with large swathes […] Read more

Pulse weekly outlook: Manitoba’s dry beans, peas show strong yields
MarketsFarm — With the return of typical temperatures and healthy amounts of precipitation throughout the growing season, Manitoba had successful pea and dry bean crops during the 2022-23 marketing year, according to the province’s pulse specialist. Dennis Lange of Manitoba Agriculture said both crops showed high yields from their respective harvests. The Manitoba pea harvest […] Read more

U.S. winter wheat growers seed into dust as Plains drought persists
Chicago | Reuters — With seeding roughly halfway complete, the 2023 U.S. hard red winter wheat crop is already being hobbled by drought in the heart of the southern Plains, wheat experts said. Seeding plans may be scaled back in the U.S. breadbasket despite historically high prices for this time of year, reflecting rising global […] Read more

Drought-stricken B.C. bracing for floods when rains return
Reuters — British Columbia on Thursday warned residents to prepare for flooding when rains eventually return after a prolonged drought exacerbated by climate change that has raised concerns about long-term damage to ecosystems ranging from glaciers to salmon rivers. The usually rainy western province has experienced weeks of record-breaking warm fall temperatures and minimal precipitation […] Read more