MarketsFarm — No major changes in the current weather patterns on the Prairies are expected at this time, according to a pair of weather experts. So far this summer, the region’s weather has been highlighted by warmer and generally drier conditions in the eastern Prairies, while the western portion has been cooler with a great […] Read more
Prairie summer weather patterns to hold for now
ICE weekly outlook: Canola mixed at midweek
MarketsFarm — Canola contracts have stayed locked in a pattern for the past few trading sessions, with the July contract posting small gains and new crop year contracts showing losses. That’s mainly due to traders positioning ahead of July’s expiry date. “It’s not uncommon for the July expiry to see some spreads swing around,” said […] Read more
U.S. grains: Soy, corn slump on crop weather, economic concerns
U.S. Midwest sees generally mild temperatures
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures eased for a third straight session on Wednesday and corn futures were mostly lower as forecasts for rains and limited crop-stressing heat across the Midwest farm belt bolstered production prospects. Weak outside markets also hung over grain futures, with equities and crude oil posting steep losses as rising […] Read more
Surface soil moisture is good this year
Reading Time: < 1 minute While some parts of northern Alberta have had too much rain, more than 85 per cent of the province had a surface soil moisture rating of good or excellent at the start of June, according to a provincial crop report. “A late-spring snowmelt and ample moisture during the growing season has resulted in near- or […] Read more
CBOT weekly outlook: Prices stable, crops looking good
MarketsFarm — Over the last few weeks, soybean and corn prices on the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) have stabilized, according to Scott Capinegro of Barrington Commodities at Barrington, Ill. “And that’s a good thing. Where this goes from here is still anybody’s guess,” he said. Noting that the crops in the United States are […] Read more
Soil moisture a mixed bag in 2020
Reading Time: < 1 minute Soil moisture reserves remain extremely variable across the province, Alberta Agriculture and Forestry said in its latest update. These range “from one in 12- to 25-year lows through small areas in the central and northeast regions, to one in 50-year highs through the Fox Creek/Edson area and also around Hawk Hills in the northern Peace […] Read more
ICE weekly outlook: Canola market floating headline to headline
MarketsFarm — The ICE Futures canola market moved lower during the week ended Wednesday, but activity was choppy as futures reacted to broad swings in global financial markets. While the looming growing season should be starting to garner some attention, the COVID-19 pandemic “has grabbed all of the headlines and all of the oxygen out […] Read more
Farm season well set up if there’s a normal spring
A warm, dry spring should allow most areas to get off to a good start, says provincial forecast
Reading Time: 2 minutes It will — as usual — all depend on Mother Nature’s mood over the next couple of months, but much of Alberta is in a “desirable condition” when it comes to soil moisture reserves, says the latest provincial soil moisture update. “The greatest reserves are found throughout much of the southern Peace region and along […] Read more
U.S. forecaster sees 65 per cent chance of no spring El Nino, La Nina
Reuters — There is about a 65 per cent chance that neutral weather conditions will prevail in the Northern Hemisphere this spring with no El Niño or La Niña, up from 60 per cent last month, a U.S. government weather forecaster said on Thursday. The El Niño-Southern Oscillation-neutral (ENSO) weather pattern is marked by average […] Read more
Weather maps paint an unsettling picture of 2019
Reading Time: < 1 minute It would take more than a thousand words to even briefly describe the weather during last year’s growing season. But provincial agrometeorology modelling expert Ralph Wright was able to do that in four colour-coded maps. For example, March-May precipitation map is a sea of bright and dark red (indicating conditions seen once every 25 years […] Read more
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