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
La Nina conditions to continue, but odds lower into winter
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
Heat, humidity kill at least 2,000 Kansas cattle, state says
Chicago | Reuters — Extreme heat and humidity killed thousands of cattle in Kansas in recent days, the state said, and sizzling temperatures continue to threaten livestock. The deaths add pain to the U.S. cattle industry as producers have reduced herds due to drought and grappled with feed costs that climbed as Russia’s invasion of […] Read more
Environment Canada sees cool summer for Manitoba
MarketsFarm — Manitoba and eastern Saskatchewan could be in for a cooler-than-normal summer, according to the latest long-range outlook from Environment Canada. The latest seasonal forecast from the government agency, released Tuesday, calls for a 40 to 80 per cent chance of below normal temperatures from June through August across all of the agricultural regions […] Read more
Pulse weekly outlook: More rainfall turns into more seeding delays
MarketsFarm — After southern Manitoba had experienced ideal seeding conditions for most of the previous week, another round of rains created another round of headaches for pulse growers on Monday. “Last week, there were a few dry beans planted here in southern Manitoba. (There was) a lot of prep work being done. Things were really […] Read more
Planting progress picking up in Saskatchewan
MarketsFarm — Overall spring planting across Saskatchewan reached 33 per cent complete as of Monday, according to the latest weekly crop report from Saskatchewan Agriculture. Despite the good progress over the week, that’s still 20 points behind the five-year average. When compared to the excellent progress this time last year, the gap expands to 41 […] Read more
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