MarketsFarm — Despite the Prairies receiving above-normal amounts of precipitation during February, the great majority of the region remained highly vulnerable to more dryness going into spring, according to the Canadian Drought Monitor. The monitor’s latest report showed those areas of the Prairies tackling extreme drought to have retracted somewhat. As of Feb. 28, that […] Read more
Most of Prairies still very dry, but recovery possible
Southern Manitoba considered out of drought
Environment Canada calls for colder-than-normal Prairie spring
MarketsFarm — Colder-than-normal temperatures are in the long-range forecast across most of the Canadian Prairies, according to the latest long-range outlook from Environment Canada. The latest seasonal forecast from the government agency, released Monday, calls for a 40-50 per cent chance of below-normal temperatures from March through May for most of the three Prairie provinces, […] Read more
Bayer rolling out short corn variety tolerant of weather extremes
Reuters — Global farm chemicals and seeds maker Bayer will launch a corn variety in the United States next year that it says will better tolerate heavy winds associated with climate change, estimating future sales in North America as high as one billion euros. The corn, which grows one-third shorter than current varieties, will be […] Read more
Expect Prairie temperatures below normal until month’s end
MarketsFarm — The Prairie weather outlook for the rest of February is likely to remain below normal, according to Scott Kehler, chief scientist for Weatherlogics in Winnipeg. “[But] not as cold as it has been for most of the winter,” he added. Much of January and February have been highlighted by temperatures well below normal. […] Read more
U.S. grains: Soy, corn rise as traders watch weather
Chicago wheat futures flat
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures rallied on Wednesday, rising 2.3 per cent to halt a two-day fall with the market underpinned by concerns that forecast rain may be insufficient to avert further drought damage to crops in Argentina and southern Brazil. “It is the size of the crop in South America that will […] Read more
Making it real: Get the lowdown on climate on your farm
Stefan Kienzle has made decades’ worth of very detailed, very local weather data easily accessible
Reading Time: 6 minutes More growing days. Fewer days of frost. And more extreme weather: both drought-inducing heat waves and bitterly cold stretches. That’s the reality of climate change but are those changes happening on your farm? Now you can find out thanks to an easy-to-use website that details precipitation, temperature and growing days on virtually any chunk of […] Read more
Farmers are better able to cope with dry times, say veteran producers
Reducing moisture loss through practices such as no till and rotational grazing are major advances
Reading Time: 3 minutes A series of droughts in the ’80s was a defining event for a generation of Alberta farmers. But two producers who farmed through those times have a hopeful message: Better technology and management practices have put farmers in a much better position to handle extreme weather. “In the mid-’80s — 1982 through 1985 — we […] Read more
PHOTOS: Drill deep into the weather history of your farm
Reading Time: < 1 minute Take a tour of a website that has decades’ worth of weather data for the whole province, including your farm or ranch.
U.S. grains: Soybeans surge on weather concerns
CBOT wheat rises after slide
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago soybean futures surged on Friday, reaching highs not seen since last summer, as the market anticipated drought losses in South America that could curb global export supplies. Wheat rose after a two-day slide, attracting bargain-buying and traders hunting for short-covering, as investors closely monitor a standoff between Russia and the […] Read more
U.S. grains: Soy eases on outlook for rain on South American crops
Corn inches higher; CBOT wheat touches one-week low
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Board of Trade soybean futures slumped on Friday to their lowest price in more than a week under continued pressure from forecasts for rain in dry South American growing areas, analysts said. Soybean futures have retreated about three per cent since reaching July highs a week ago on concerns about […] Read more
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