Reading Time: 4 minutes For Alberta growers right now, the biggest clouds on the horizon are the lack of them — particularly the ones bringing rain. “It’s a real mixed bag throughout the province with some of the weather conditions that we’ve been dealt,” Rimbey-area producer Jason Lenz said earlier this month. “Certainly the south has some very, very […] Read more
Weather, crop conditions a ‘mixed bag’ for growers
Many came through a late, wet spring better than expected and dry hasn’t equalled disaster — but no one’s expecting a bin buster
Strong prices give grain growers a reason to celebrate
It’s been a tough growing season but higher prices for wheat, canola, and lentils have created ‘some good optimism’
Reading Time: 4 minutes It’s been a tough year for grain growers in Alberta, but strong prices are giving many a reason to celebrate as they head toward harvest. “If you look at the positives, there has been a move higher in prices in crops that are really impactful for Prairie farmers,” said Jonathon Driedger, senior marketing analyst at […] Read more
Crop conditions decline, hot, dry weather continues
Alberta crop conditions as of July 25
Reading Time: < 1 minute Crop condition ratings declined a further 4 points this week to 60 per cent good/excellent, compared to the 5 year average of 74 per cent. Hot, dry weather continues to cover the South region and is now affecting significant portions of the east half of the Central region and parts of the NE region. Heavy […] Read more
Crop ratings in the south decline due to ‘droughty’ conditions
Alberta crop conditions as of July 4
Reading Time: < 1 minute Provincial crop condition ratings declined by 3 points this week to 75 per cent rated good or excellent, solely due to a significant decline in the condition ratings of crops in the South region as the droughty conditions currently affecting the US northern tier states has reached into southern Alberta. Crop condition ratings were virtually […] Read more
Crop development exceeds five-year average, hay yields ‘promising’
Alberta crop conditions as of June 27
Reading Time: 2 minutes Over the past seven days, most of the Peace Region and much of the North East and North West Regions received 10 – 20 mm of precipitation to as much as 30 mm. In the Central and South Regions, the west portions received no more than five mm while the east portions received 5 – […] Read more
Rain falls province-wide, some acres too wet to finish seeding
Alberta crop conditions as of June 20
Reading Time: < 1 minute It has been raining province wide, following a dry spell towards the end of May, with the Peace Region being the driest. Over the past week, most areas of the province received at least 10 mm of rain, with most parts of the North East and North West Regions as well as some areas in […] Read more
Diving a little deeper into summer weather and tornadoes
Tornadoes are nearly impossible to study but we do know a lot about the mechanics of how they form
Reading Time: 3 minutes In this instalment, we’ll continue our look at severe thunderstorms, and specifically, the most deadly part — tornadoes. While eastern parts of the Prairies have only seen a few isolated severe thunderstorms, parts of Saskatchewan and Alberta have already seen their fair share. I think most Canadians were more than impressed, and maybe a little bit […] Read more
Seeding nears the finish line, growing conditions good to excellent
Alberta crop conditions as of June 13
Reading Time: 2 minutes Over the past week, most areas of the province received at least 10 mm of rain, with the western areas of the Southern, Central and North West Regions as well as southern areas of the Peace Region receiving over 20-30 mm of rain. About 96 per cent of crops across the province have now been […] Read more
Seeding 91 per cent complete, harvest of over-wintered crops nears completion
Alberta crop conditions as of June 6
Reading Time: < 1 minute A week of favourable weather has advanced seeding to 91 per cent completed, up 12 percentage points for the week but well behind the five year average of 99.5 per cent. Seeding intentions are changing due to the late date as producers shift acres to barley away from spring wheat, canola and field peas. Crop […] Read more
Tornado season is upon us — here’s what to watch for
The area between the storm and cloud, clouds with bags hanging from them, and the wind are keys in spotting the danger
Reading Time: 3 minutes So far in our look at severe summer weather, and in particular thunderstorms, we have looked at how thunderstorms form, how they can grow into severe thunderstorms, and finally, how hail is produced. Next up on the severe thunderstorm list is tornadoes! Before we begin our look at tornadoes though, I think we have to […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
