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
Rain hinders seeding progress, slows harvest of over-wintered crops
Alberta crop conditions as of May 16
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
Plant 2017: It’s all about making the best of a bad situation
It was never going to be good, but crop specialists say this seeding season may not be as bad as feared
Reading Time: 3 minutes To say that last year’s harvest season in Alberta was unusual would be putting it mildly. The exceptionally wet fall resulted in 967,569 unharvested acres reported to Agricultural Financial Services Corporation (AFSC) this past winter, representing millions of dollars in seed and inputs that have yet to be recouped. So the big question this spring […] Read more
Springtime can be the ‘right time’ for really big snowstorms
When a buildup of warm, moist air from the south collides with cold arctic air, your snowblower can get a real workout
Reading Time: 3 minutes With spring officially here, the last thing most people want to hear about is snow. But the way this winter and spring have been going, who knows? Springtime across the Prairies tends to bring some of the biggest snowfalls of the year. Several years ago I dug into this topic, but I figured it was time […] Read more
Warm weather wins out in this crazy up-and-down winter
The recipe was simple but unusual: Send in warm weather, then a big blast of cold, and repeat all winter long
Reading Time: 3 minutes From a climatological point of view, winter is now over. The 12-month year is broken into four equally long seasons, with winter covering December, January, and February. From a southern and central Alberta view, there is still one month to go. For most of the Canadian Prairies, winter starts in November and usually ends in March. In some […] Read more
The Big Wreck: One million unharvested acres
The financial hit will be huge and getting rid of those damaged crops could delay seeding and put this year’s crop at risk
Reading Time: 4 minutes [Updated: March 20, 2017] Ed Tollefson is worried he won’t be able to get 700 acres of snow-buried crop off his field before seeding this year. And the Valleyview-area farmer is not alone. Alberta producers have reported 967,569 unharvested acres to Agricultural Financial Services Corporation (AFSC) — a massive area that would have cost those […] Read more