Reading Time: < 1 minute A week of warm and relatively dry weather throughout the province benefited crop development in the northern regions and allowed harvest to progress rapidly in the South. Crop Conditions have stabilized at 54 per cent rated good or excellent, down less than 2 points on the week. Provincial harvest progress has advanced to 6 per […] Read more
Steady harvest progression, but yields, crop quality suffers
Alberta crop conditions as of August 22
CBOT weekly outlook: Corn, soybeans eye Tropical Storm Harvey
CNS Canada — The potential for a storm in the Gulf of Mexico to bring rain to parts of the U.S. Midwest has caught the attention of the grain and oilseed markets. “If it turns farther north and hits some of the dry spots in Indiana, Ohio and Illinois that would be a little bit […] Read more
U.S. farmers confused by Monsanto’s Xtendimax instructions
Chicago | Reuters — With Monsanto’s latest flagship weed killer, dicamba, banned in Arkansas and under review by U.S. regulators over concerns it can drift in the wind, farmers and weed scientists are also complaining that confusing directions on the label make the product hard to use safely. Dicamba, sold under different brand names by […] Read more
U.S. northern Plains ranchers welcome hay lottery
Reuters — Hundreds of livestock ranchers in the drought-stricken U.S. northern Plains are embracing what organizers say is the first lottery designed to provide some much-needed relief to their operations. The prize? Tons and tons of hay. Ranchers in North Dakota, South Dakota and Montana have been suffering through the region’s worst drought in 30 […] Read more
Dry conditions continue to reign in south, six per cent of crops harvested
Alberta crop conditions as of August 15
Reading Time: 2 minutes Dry conditions continued in the Southern Region and some parts of the Central Regions, with a few areas receiving a brief reprieve. A portion of the North East Region received up to 70 to 90 mm rain, while most of the Peace region had less than 5 mm of rain. Provincially, crop growing conditions did […] Read more
Options weighed for AgriRecovery in B.C. fire zones
Officials in British Columbia are now gauging what sorts of damages and expenses can be covered through an AgriRecovery plan for ranchers and farmers affected by wildfires. The federal and B.C. governments announced Wednesday they’re “working together to quickly assess the extraordinary costs farmers are incurring and what additional assistance may be required to recover […] Read more
Harvest weather outlook offers reasons to cheer
CNS Canada — Farmers on the Prairies can expect decent weather for this harvest season, according to Drew Lerner, meteorologist and founder of World Weather Inc. Most farmers will experience periodic showers, he said, but shouldn’t be subjected to the continual drizzles and sheets of rain that caused heartaches last year. “Most of the Prairies […] Read more
Drought-related livestock tax deferral zones widen again
More ranchers in five provinces may now be able to defer some of their taxable income from their livestock sales in 2016 due to drought. The federal government on Aug. 4 announced its final list of drought-designated regions where the livestock tax deferral provision will be allowed for the 2016 tax year, and has included […] Read more
Crop conditions decline in Alberta, recent rains offer little benefit
Alberta crop conditions as of August 8
Reading Time: 2 minutes Recent scattered rain across the province has been too light and variable to significantly improve soil moisture and crop conditions, especially in the Southern and Central Regions. Crop condition ratings declined for the Southern and Central Regions, improved for the North West and Peace Regions and remained unchanged in the North East Region from last […] Read more
The physics of lightning and why ‘if it roars, go indoors’ is good advice
Tornadoes, wind, and hail grab the headlines but it’s lightning that typically poses the biggest danger
Reading Time: 3 minutes To wrap up our look at severe thunderstorms, we’re going to revisit how lightning is thought to form and then take a look at some lightning facts and safety tips. Tornadoes, wind, and hail often make the headlines when it comes to thunderstorms, but it is lightning that is often the biggest threat. For this […] Read more