Reading Time: 3 minutes A leader in southern Alberta’s cattle ranching community died in a vehicle crash while helping fight wildfires along the Alberta/Saskatchewan border on Tuesday night. Cypress County officials have identified the firefighter as James Hargrave, 34, a volunteer with the fire station at Walsh, Alta., about 50 km east of Medicine Hat. Alberta’s Agriculture Minister Oneil […] Read more
Alberta rancher, advocate James Hargrave, 34
WSGA vice-president dies in crash during wildfire firefighting effort
Seventy-seven per cent of crops harvested, soil moisture conditions improve
Alberta crop conditions as of October 10
Reading Time: 2 minutes Harvest is complete in the Southern Region and nearly complete in the Central Region, while the northern regions in the province are still in mid-harvest. This past spring, the northern regions had some challenges with the harvesting of over-wintered crops which led to late seeding. As well, for these regions, rain, combined with snow and […] Read more
Ottawa threatens suit for Hudson Bay rail line repairs
The federal government says the owner of the Hudson Bay Railway has 30 days to get the washed-out line repaired and running or will face a lawsuit for breach of contract. Natural Resources Minister Jim Carr, the MP for the Manitoba riding of Winnipeg South Centre, said in a statement Friday that U.S. rail operator […] Read more
U.S. EPA gives dicamba ‘restricted use’ label for 2018
New York | Reuters — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency unveiled new restrictions on Friday on the use of dicamba herbicide, which has caused widespread crop damage in the U.S. Midwest for the past two years. The EPA said in a statement that certain formulations of the substance will be classified as a restricted-use pesticide, […] Read more
Insurer SGI Canada sets up farm unit
The property and casualty arm of Saskatchewan’s Crown insurance agency has set up a new unit zoned strictly agricultural. SGI Canada — the Regina-based property and casualty insurance provider which operates in tandem with the Saskatchewan Auto Fund, the Crown auto insurer — on Wednesday launched a new Farm Business Unit with “a specialized team […] Read more
Manitoba corn harvest off and running
CNS Canada –– Manitoba’s corn harvest is just getting underway as many producers hold off combining to provide extra drydown time. More farmers will likely get into their grain corn this week and next, said Pam de Rocquigny, general manager of Manitoba Corn Growers. “The weather looks great so hopefully corn continues to dry down.” […] Read more
Snow, killing frost puts brakes on harvest, crop quality better than expected so far
Alberta crop conditions as of October 3
Reading Time: 2 minutes Over the weekend, an intense and large system delivered cold, wet weather across the province which caused significant snowfall in some areas and brought killing frost to almost all areas across the province. The recently wet conditions also increased soil moisture levels, especially, in the Southern and Central Regions, pausing the harvest operations for a […] Read more
La Nina could return cold, snowy tradition to Prairies
CNS Canada — The world’s major weather forecasters predict a slightly better than 50 per cent chance that a La Nina weather pattern will occur this fall and winter. Most Prairie farmers could see good things happening if the system does materialize, because La Nina systems tend to bring what many people think of as […] Read more
Oat prices keep firm as harvest rolls in
CNS Canada — Oat prices firmed this week in Saskatchewan as reports streamed in indicating yields were slightly better than anticipated. Harvest in Saskatchewan is over three-quarters complete, although recent rains have delayed that progress somewhat. The province is the dominant growing area for Canadian oats. Bids rose five cents to a range of $2.33 […] Read more
Hay shortage could make for difficult winter
CNS Canada — Many cattle producers looking for local feed this winter might have a difficult time, according to a Saskatchewan provincial forage specialist. However, producers further north in the grey and black soil zones, and those in Alberta producing high-quality feed for export, saw near-record hay production. Terry Kowalchuk of Saskatchewan Agriculture in Regina […] Read more