After going through a couple of weeks of tough forecasting, with little agreement among the weather models, this forecast period is looking a little more stable with the two main weather models for our region in basic agreement. We start off this forecast with a low over Manitoba that is quickly moving east. To the […] Read more
Prairie Forecast: Upper ridge to bring the heat
Issued Aug. 16, covering Aug. 16-23
Alberta farmers granted late AgriStability entry
Enrolment deadline now Sept. 29
Any Alberta producers who were considering AgriStability — but only in hindsight — for the income stabilization plan’s 2023 program year now have until Sept. 29 to apply. Ottawa and the province announced Aug. 4 that they’ve reopened the jointly-funded program, as wildfires and/or “extremely dry” growing conditions have dragged on many Alberta producers’ work […] Read more
Prairie Forecast Update: Low to chug through mid-week
Issued Aug. 13, covering Aug. 13-16
The weather models seem to have come to an agreement on the area of low pressure forecasted to come in off the Pacific around mid-week. It looks like the energy from this system will quickly spin up an area of low pressure over north-central Alberta on Tuesday. The low will then quickly deepen and track […] Read more
Canada’s record-setting wildfires could persist for rest of ‘marathon’ summer
Country's fires account for over a quarter of world's carbon for 2023
Ottawa | Reuters — Record-setting wildfires in Canada could potentially continue burning at an abnormally high rate for several more weeks, though the spread of blazes is likely to start diminishing in September, according to federal projections released on Friday. Forest fires have engulfed parts of nearly all 13 Canadian provinces and territories this year, […] Read more
Feed weekly outlook: Crop conditions, barley demand lower
Prices expected steady to lower for now
MarketsFarm — As combining operations begin, dryness continues to plague crops in many parts of Saskatchewan. But while crop conditions aren’t as bad as they were during the drought of 2021, according to trader Evan Peterson from JGL Commodities in Saskatoon, crops are still very parched. “Southern and western parts are very, very poor. But […] Read more
Heat waves: sunshine and sinking air
Temperatures above 30 C have cropped up a lot this year, but what makes up an official heat wave?
Reading Time: 3 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – Let’s continue our look at severe summer weather by examining heat waves. While we have seen recent hot weather, it pales in comparison to some of the extreme heat reported in other parts of our planet this July. Heat waves have enveloped large portions of the Northern Hemisphere, bringing record-breaking heat to […] Read more
Prairie Forecast: Cooler and unsettled
Issued Aug. 9, covering Aug. 9 to 16
First off, I must apologize for not producing an update to the last forecast; I had the opportunity to do some backwoods camping, which meant I was off the grid for about five days. I’m back now, and from the weather model runs I’ve been able to check out, this forecast period is going to […] Read more
Pulse weekly outlook: Average yields expected for Manitoba crops
Beans, soy may still benefit if rain comes
MarketsFarm — Pulse crops in Manitoba fared well against the elements which included sporadic rainfall and normal to below-normal temperatures for much of the past month. Provincial pulse specialist Dennis Lange in Altona said field peas should begin harvesting operations next week. “As far as pea acres go, we’re looking at about 145,000 acres. That’s […] Read more
Saskatchewan Crop Report: Dryness continues as harvest begins
Since April 1, the entirety of the province received 200 mm or less of rain
MarketsFarm – With the exception of a handful of areas, most of Saskatchewan remained dry for the week ended July 31 as harvest operations began in the province’s southwest and west-central regions. Areas north of Prince Albert and northwest of Kindersley, as well as inside and around Hudson Bay each saw more than 30 millimetres […] Read more
Prairie forecast: Warm-hot start then slow cooldown
Issued August 2, covering August 2 to 9
The weather models have been doing a good job with the overall weather picture over the last several weeks, despite a fairly unsettled, tough-to-figure-out weather pattern. In this next forecast period, it will again be tough to figure out some of the finer details as our region experiences weak highs, lows, and even the possibility […] Read more