Reading Time: < 1 minute It’s an unwelcome honour, but Alberta has two of the top three spots in Environment Canada’s Top 10 weather stories of the year. The June 13 hailstorm in Calgary caused an estimated $1.3 billion in damage – $386 million in smashed or cracked windshields alone along with pummelling “hundreds of thousands of hectares” of grain […] Read more
Alberta weather disasters make Top 10 in 2020
Half the province on the dry side heading into winter
It’s a long time until spring, but soil moisture reserves are sharply lower compared to a year ago
Reading Time: < 1 minute Much of the province’s farmland is dry, according to the latest soil moisture update from Alberta Agriculture and Forestry. “Soil moisture reserves at freeze-up are highly variable across the province with about 50 per cent of the agricultural areas estimated to have below-average reserves at fall freeze-up,” said the Nov. 8 report. “Large areas that […] Read more
Seasonal forecast calls for more snow
MarketsFarm — Most of Canada should see above-normal snowfall over the next three months, according to updated seasonal forecasts released Monday from Environment Canada. Weather maps show a 40 to 60 per cent probability of more precipitation than normal across much of the country from December through February, with the heaviest accumulations expected in Quebec. […] Read more
ICE weekly outlook: Canola stronger at midweek
MarketsFarm — ICE Futures canola contracts were stronger on Wednesday, making up losses incurred earlier in the week. The nearby January contract closed Wednesday at $545.80 per tonne, gaining over $10 since closing at $534.90 on Monday. Record-high temperatures in parts of the Prairies were part of the reason behind canola’s rally. However, temperatures are […] Read more
U.S. grains: Corn declines on long liquidation
Soybeans lower, wheat rallies
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn futures declined on Monday as funds scaled back long positions ahead of the U.S. presidential election, and forecasts called for optimal weather in the Midwest, where farmers are wrapping up the harvest of corn and soybeans, analysts said. Wheat futures turned higher, rallying on bargain-buying after a five-session slide. […] Read more
U.S. grains: Wheat slides on profit-taking, weather
January soybeans up, December corn flat
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago wheat futures fell on Friday for a fifth straight session, retreating from multi-year highs set last week, on fund-driven long liquidation and improving crop prospects in the southern U.S. Plains, analysts said. Soybean futures firmed on export demand while corn settled narrowly mixed, with the front December contract losing relative […] Read more
CBOT weekly outlook: After October rally, November ‘is for bears’
MarketsFarm — Commodities on the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) have seen a counter-season rally, with a correction expected in the near future. “Markets are definitely overbought,” said Scott Capinegro of Barrington Commodity Brokers in Barrington, Ill. “It’s harvest and we’re still rallying.” World weather conditions are part of the driving force behind the rally, […] Read more
Study shows how U.S. farm landscapes could be reshaped by climate
Plains' wheat belt would see 'hollowing-out'
London | Thomson Reuters Foundation — Climate change could render swaths of agricultural land largely useless for farming in the U.S. South, and force Midwestern farmers to move corn and soybeans elsewhere as crop yields decline, researchers said on Monday. The profits of growing six key crops are set to fall by almost a third […] Read more
Prairies can expect far better harvest weather this fall
MarketsFarm — Prairie farmers are likely going have good weather over the next few weeks, according to Scott Kehler of Weatherlogics. “We got a pretty significant warm-up across most of the Prairies through to the end of September. It should be fairly warm and not too much in the way of precipitation,” he said. “At […] Read more
Clear sailing on a perfect harvest day
Reading Time: < 1 minute Harvesting conditions were ideal — clear, dry and the temperature hitting 27 C — on this Stony Plain-area operation on Sept. 10. But more good weather will be needed to get all the crops in. The Sept. 8 provincial crop report said just 8.8 per cent of crops had been harvested in the North West […] Read more
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