Reading Time: < 1 minute Olds College and Agriculture Financial Services Corporation (AFSC) have created a formal partnership in which AFSC will support applied research on the Olds College Smart Farm. In 2021 the Olds College research team worked on a proof of concept with AFSC to see if drone imagery in hail-damaged fields could assist assessment, with promising initial […] Read more
AFSC and Olds College form partnership
Drone assessment of hail damage is among the research projects
Pulse weekly outlook: Alberta shaping up for better harvest
MarketsFarm – While some areas of Alberta continued to struggle with a lack of precipitation and higher temperatures, Alberta Pulse Growers (APG) executive director Leanne Fischbuch said pulse crops in the province are faring much better overall than in drought-stricken 2021. “Harvest is underway in many parts of the province already, thanks to the heat […] Read more
China’s farmers struggle to save crops as heatwave, drought drag on
Chongqing | Reuters — As the tinder-dry countryside along China’s Yangtze river basin withers under a heatwave that has lasted more than two months, veteran farmer Chen Xiaohua recalled the last severe drought to hit his crops more than 60 years ago. “This year is drier than 1960,” said Chen, 68, from his plot of […] Read more
Iqaluit declares state of emergency over water shortage
Ottawa | Reuters — The northern Canadian city of Iqaluit declared a state of emergency on Friday after scarce rain this year left water levels in the local Apex River at a four-decade low. Iqaluit warned it may not have enough water in its reservoir to sustain its population of about 7,800 when a freeze-up […] Read more
La Nina conditions to continue, but odds lower into winter
Reuters — Chances for La Niña are expected to gradually decrease from 86 per cent in the coming season to 60 per cent during December to February in 2022-23, a U.S. government weather forecaster said on Thursday. The La Niña weather pattern is characterized by unusually cold temperatures in the equatorial Pacific Ocean. According to […] Read more
The severe weather event feared by farmers and new-car owners alike
Alberta’s higher elevation makes it the hail capital of Canada
Reading Time: 3 minutes Let’s look at what is probably the most feared and costly summer severe weather event: hail. How expensive can hail be? To put it into perspective, on June 13, 2020, a severe hailstorm hit Calgary, causing an estimated $1.2 billion in insurance damage, which ranks as one of the top five most expensive natural disasters […] Read more
More than 200 people die as drought ravages northeast Uganda
Kampala | Reuters — More than 200 people have died from hunger this month in northeastern Uganda, where a prolonged drought and rampant insecurity have left more than half a million facing starvation, a local official and a charity worker said. Inhabited by nomadic pastoralists, the semi-arid and remote Karamoja region on the border with […] Read more
Take your pick — there’s a forecast for everyone
Here are six forecasts for July and August, and they are all over the (weather) map
Reading Time: 3 minutes June seemed to go by in a flash. We are now halfway through 2022, and depending on where you live, it has been a very interesting six months. We will look back and see how June weather played out across the Prairies, and then look ahead to see what forecasters are calling for during July […] Read more
Rain sprouts hope among southern Alberta farmers
The subsoil moisture bank is empty, so many will need rain every week or two
Reading Time: 4 minutes Recent rain has prevented a disaster for many farmers, but additional moisture is needed to sustain crops and pastures through summer. “It’s actually lightened the mood quite a bit around my area,” said Jason Hale, vice-chair of Alberta Beef Producers, who ranches near Bassano. “But in saying that, we’ve been so dry that it’s going […] Read more
Saskatchewan shores up disaster program for bigger farms
Program extends PDAP aid to higher-revenue farm businesses
Saskatchewan farmers whose operations took damage from storms in April, but whose gross revenues overtopped the maximum for disaster assistance, will now be able to get in on that program. The province on June 16 announced “supplemental relief” via the Provincial Disaster Assistance Program to help farmers who didn’t qualify under PDAP’s usual eligibility rules. […] Read more
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