Reading Time: < 1 minute Members of the Canadian Crop Hail Association are asking hail-affected growers to leave adequate samples for adjusters. The CCHA said storms damaged crops with hail as large as baseballs across Western Canada in late July and member companies are investigating more than 1,500 claims. In a release, CCHA president Scott McQueen of Palliser Insurance said […] Read more
Growers urged to leave hail-damaged samples
Alberta again hit hardest in late-June storms
Greater crop production estimated prior to StatCan report
Extended time lag between survey, data's release criticized
MarketsFarm — Analysts are expecting Canadian crop production totals for the 2022-23 marketing year to be substantially higher compared to drought-stricken 2021-22, but still not enough to fully replenish supplies. Statistics Canada (StatCan) will publish its first satellite image model-based yield and production estimates for principal field crops on Monday. Traders and analysts are interested […] Read more
Red sky at night? Maybe. But snow from fog in August?
Our weather columnist analyzes some common sayings, and would like to hear some more
Reading Time: 4 minutes This summer I have crisscrossed this great country of ours. I started in early July heading east into the Muskoka region of Ontario to compete in an Ironman 70.3 triathlon. After spending a couple of weeks there, I returned home and did some quick gardening before heading west to Canmore for a wedding. What a […] Read more
China’s farmers struggle to save crops as heatwave, drought drag on
Chongqing | Reuters — As the tinder-dry countryside along China’s Yangtze river basin withers under a heatwave that has lasted more than two months, veteran farmer Chen Xiaohua recalled the last severe drought to hit his crops more than 60 years ago. “This year is drier than 1960,” said Chen, 68, from his plot of […] Read more
Pulse weekly outlook: Chickpea harvest approaches amid low worldwide supplies
MarketsFarm — The harvest for Western Canada’s chickpea crop is about to begin and it comes at a time when worldwide supplies of the pulse are at a low point. Colin Young, manager of Mid-West Grain Ltd. at Moose Jaw, Sask., said there are varying chickpea yields in the western Prairie region, where most of […] Read more
Dry weather hits French wheat crop
Reading Time: < 1 minute French consultancy Agritel said July 26 it expects the soft wheat crop in France to fall 5.6 per cent this year after adverse weather. “French producers have had to deal with frost, drought, hail and scorching temperatures. These phenomena affected most of France with different degrees of intensity,” Agritel said in a statement. Its estimate […] Read more
Iqaluit declares state of emergency over water shortage
Ottawa | Reuters — The northern Canadian city of Iqaluit declared a state of emergency on Friday after scarce rain this year left water levels in the local Apex River at a four-decade low. Iqaluit warned it may not have enough water in its reservoir to sustain its population of about 7,800 when a freeze-up […] Read more
La Nina conditions to continue, but odds lower into winter
Reuters — Chances for La Niña are expected to gradually decrease from 86 per cent in the coming season to 60 per cent during December to February in 2022-23, a U.S. government weather forecaster said on Thursday. The La Niña weather pattern is characterized by unusually cold temperatures in the equatorial Pacific Ocean. According to […] Read more
Insurance available for lightning and fire damage
Annual crop or hay fields insured under Straight Hail Insurance have the same spot-loss coverage as Hail Endorsement
Reading Time: < 1 minute It’s summertime in Alberta, and with the season comes an increased potential for volatile storm activity. Depending on your insurance coverage with Agriculture Financial Services Corporation (AFSC), you may have protection against losses related to lightning strikes and accidental fires. “Agriculture is filled with unpredictable events, including the weather,” said Ken Handford, senior product co-ordinator. […] Read more
The severe weather event feared by farmers and new-car owners alike
Alberta’s higher elevation makes it the hail capital of Canada
Reading Time: 3 minutes Let’s look at what is probably the most feared and costly summer severe weather event: hail. How expensive can hail be? To put it into perspective, on June 13, 2020, a severe hailstorm hit Calgary, causing an estimated $1.2 billion in insurance damage, which ranks as one of the top five most expensive natural disasters […] Read more
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