Reading Time: < 1 minute Even with a run of perfect weather, many northern producers are unlikely to finish seeding all their acres. As of May 23, (the last crop report before press time) just 57 per cent of seeding was complete province-wide versus the five-year average of 83 per cent. The north has particularly struggled with getting seed in […] Read more
The number of unseeded acres isn’t pretty
Seeding well behind five year average, crop stages behind normal
Alberta crop conditions as of May 30
Reading Time: < 1 minute Seeding progress in the province has reached 79 per cent complete, up 22 percentage points on the week, but well behind the five-year average of 97 per cent. A weather front early in the reporting period brought strong winds and varying amounts of rain to the North West and North East regions, reaching into the […] Read more
Seeding progress spikes in Alberta, farmers 57 per cent complete
Alberta crop conditions as of May 23
Reading Time: 2 minutes In most parts of the province, weather conditions over the last week were favourable for the harvesting of crops left over from 2016 as well as the seeding of new crops for 2017. Showers and rainfall over the last week occurred mainly in the western parts of the province. Provincially, seeding progress was up by […] Read more
Cooking up thunderstorms with Mother Nature
Severe thunderstorms are a fascinating phenomena and you need the right conditions to come together
Reading Time: 4 minutes Thunderstorm season isn’t too far off so we’ll continue our annual look at what is arguably one of the most fascinating weather phenomena we see in our part of the world. I always like to begin our look at thunderstorms by touching upon one of my biggest weather pet peeves, which is when people mix […] Read more
Rain hinders seeding progress, slows harvest of over-wintered crops
Alberta crop conditions as of May 16
Reading Time: 2 minutes Over the last week, another major weather system swept across the province, bringing more rain (10-50 mm) to the Regions. Affected areas that are currently too wet are experiencing delays in seeding progress, as well as in the harvesting of overwintered crops. However, in the Southern and Central Regions, the weather has cooperated, allowing for […] Read more
Seeding underway in all regions, good progress on 2016 crops
Alberta crop conditions as of May 9
Reading Time: 2 minutes Alberta experienced another week of favourable weather which further enhanced soil drying. Temperatures were generally above average and although showers were prevalent late in the reporting period, amounts were small. Saturated soils throughout the North East, North West and Peace regions continue to hamper field operations. Seeding is underway in all regions. Seeding progress has […] Read more
April didn’t bring much joy — and Alberta had the worst of it
Statistically, it wasn’t absolutely miserable but a dry stretch and a return to average temperatures would be most welcome this spring
Reading Time: 3 minutes Another month has come and gone, and depending on where you live it was either a near-average April or you were cold and wet. Listening to the general talk about April’s weather, you would probably come to the conclusion that most areas across the Prairies had a miserable month. But in reality, most places experienced […] Read more
Weather school is back in session — here are the basics of thunderstorms
How does solar energy result in thunderstorms? The answer lies with conduction, convection, and latent heat
Reading Time: 3 minutes With temperatures slowly starting to heat up across the Prairies, thoughts turn towards summer and summer weather, and in my case, I begin thinking about thunderstorms. After a very active summer last year, I thought it might be time to look at this topic again. I also thought it would be a good idea to take […] Read more
Cool temps make for a slow start to seeding in Alberta
Alberta crop conditions as of May 2
Reading Time: < 1 minute Seeding is off to a slow start due to the cool April temperatures experienced throughout the province. In the South, soils have been slow to warm while in the remainder of the province, the cool temperatures slowed the dry down of already saturated soils caused by the wet conditions experienced last fall. Currently, six per […] Read more
CBOT weekly outlook: ‘Managed money crowd’ buoys futures
CNS Canada — Bullish weather propped up Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) corn and soybean futures, spurring spec buying on the week — but it’s likely not enough to break the commodities’ ranges, one U.S. analyst says. “Lately here, of course it’s been weather with all the rain last week and over the weekend. The […] Read more