Reading Time: 4 minutes A few weeks ago while waiting for a triathlon to start, a thunderstorm rolled through the region forcing everyone to run for shelter. While listening to people talk during the storm I overheard a weather-related idea or story that I’ve actually been mulling in my head for a while now, but I still haven’t figured […] Read more
Why does El Niño have such a big impact on our weather?
It’s all about heat and the atmosphere’s aversion to imbalances when it comes to hot and cold
Alberta producers making good harvest progress
Alberta crop conditions as of September 1, 2015
Reading Time: < 1 minute Alberta producers were able to make good harvest progress this past week with the South region showing the greatest advancement. Thick smoke haze in the atmosphere reduced temperatures and slowed drying across much of the province. High winds in southern Alberta helped to dry crops but also caused damage by blowing swaths and breaking heads. […] Read more
Dry doesn’t describe it in Mackenzie County
Almost no rain has fallen across a county that’s bigger than New Brunswick — and that’s devastating for the cattle industry
Reading Time: 4 minutes Drought hits everyone hard, but Mackenzie County’s 150 cattle producers have been squeezed harder and earlier than most — and the fallout may be felt for years. Cattleman Eric Jorgensen remembers looking at an agro-climatic map in mid-June that showed the province’s largest county, which at 80,000 square kilometres is larger than New Brunswick, had […] Read more
Beat high winds by anchoring your bins
More extreme weather coupled with modern bins that are taller and lighter is a recipe for trouble
Reading Time: 3 minutes It doesn’t matter what side of the climate change debate you’re on, few producers would deny that, for whatever reason, weather is getting more extreme. Between hurricane-force winds and the generally lighter and taller designs of many modern grain bins, there seems to be more instances of grain bins being knocked over or otherwise damaged. […] Read more
Three-hour tornado & Regina’s wettest day ever
Reuters — A tornado spun for several hours through southwestern Manitoba late Monday in a fierce Canadian Prairie storm that caused flash flooding and shredded part of a highway. No injuries or major damage was reported, according to a statement by Environment Canada, federal weather forecaster. “What was just shocking was the duration on the […] Read more
Keep watch: How to spot the warning signs of a tornado
A dark area between the storm and the ground, a green tint to the sky, and a line of swirling clouds are all danger signs
Reading Time: 3 minutes This next topic in our look at different types of severe summer weather is severe thunderstorms, and in particular, high winds. When we think of severe thunderstorms one word that should make you worried and nervous is tornado. While tornadoes are the most destructive feature that can occur within a thunderstorm, they are fairly rare, with […] Read more
Stress could be taking its toll on you — know the signs
Withdrawing, not wanting to eat, and constant worry are all signs of stress that could lead to more serious issues
Reading Time: 3 minutes In tough times — like this year’s drought — stress can creep up on you. So take a moment to think how your friends and family are holding up. “I really encourage people to notice what other people are doing when it’s stressful like this. You may need to look after each other a bit […] Read more
Sell or hang on? Cattle producers facing tough choices
Some have already pulled the trigger and sold cattle, others are holding back and hoping they’ll have enough feed
Reading Time: 3 minutes It was supposed to be the year to grow the cattle herd — but Mother Nature and dry conditions across Alberta have changed all that. A lack of hay and pasture makes for tough choices and some are taking cattle to market. Viking Hutterite Colony usually buys calves, backgrounds them until spring, and then turns […] Read more
When it comes to hail, not all parts of the Prairies are equal
South-central Alberta and south-central Manitoba get the worst hailstorms — but for different reasons
Reading Time: 4 minutes So far in our look at different types of severe summer weather, we’ve looked at heavy rainfall warnings and heat warnings. I was going to take a break from our examination of severe summer weather for this issue and examine some of the unique weather events that have taken place across the world over the […] Read more
For producers, it’s wait and pray time for rain
Pastures and hayfields have been hardest hit but AFSC analyst still expects a ‘slightly below-average crop’
Reading Time: 3 minutes The conditions across Alberta can be summed up in three words: It’s awfully dry. “As of Tuesday, we’ve been getting some moisture here in central Alberta, which has been a nice break, but I don’t know how general that moisture has been,” AFSC risk analyst James Wright said in an interview June 12. “We haven’t […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
