CNS Canada -- A milder than normal winter, with a lack of significant snow cover across much of Alberta and Saskatchewan, may be raising concerns in parts of the Prairies -- but there is still plenty of time before spring seeding will begin. "There's not much moisture there," said Harry Brook, crop specialist with Alberta's[...]

Winter comes early to Alta., crop downgrades likely
CNS Canada -- There may technically still be two more weeks of summer on the calendar, but winter weather has hit Alberta already and is raising quality concerns for unharvested crops in the province. Widespread snowfall and temperatures near the freezing mark were being reported Monday across the province. The winter weather is expected to[...]
Early Alta. seeding stalled by moisture
Recent precipitation across a large portion of Alberta will help improve moisture levels in the province, as seeding operations are set to get underway for the year. Some barley and spring wheat was already seeded in southern Alberta over the past week, before precipitation and colder temperatures halted that activity, said crop specialist Harry Brook[...]
Prairie seeding still a month away
Warm and dry weather conditions seen across Western Canada this winter may be leading to some talk of an earlier-than-normal start to spring seeding. However, crop specialists in the three Prairie provinces say weather over the next month will play a key role in determining when producers actually get out on their fields. The lack[...]
Seeding nearly done in Alta., rain needed in north
Alberta farmers are nearly finished with their spring seeding operations, having made quick progress in the past few weeks, according to a crop specialist with the province's Ag-Info Centre. With planting wrapping up, fields in the northern part of the province are now in need of some rainfall, while excess moisture is causing some concerns[...]
Recent moisture benefits Alta. fields: AARD
(Resource News International) -- Recent rainfall across some of the driest areas of Alberta should come as welcome news to the province's farmers. And forecasts call for widespread precipitation for much of the province over the next week, a provincial specialist noted. Harry Brook, a crops specialist with the Alberta Ag-Info Centre at Stettler, said[...]
Rains do little to change Prairie grasshopper outlook
(Resource News International) -- The wet weather seen across Western Canada over the past week will do little to change the grasshopper outlook this year, although better moisture levels may help alleviate some of the grasshopper concerns later in the summer. Grasshopper forecasts for the three Prairie provinces, based off surveys of adult grasshoppers taken[...]
Prairie crop conditions vary heading into spring
(Resource News International) -- Crop conditions across Western Canada are variable heading into spring seeding, with dryness a concern in parts of Alberta and Saskatchewan, and flooding possible in Manitoba's Red River valley, according to provincial crop specialists. However, seeding is still a month or more away in most areas, and the possibility of late-winter[...]
Alta. crops slow developing, more eyed as forage
(Resource News International) -- Slow crop development across much of Alberta could result in many grain and oilseed fields going to forage instead of being harvested, according to a provincial crop specialist. Most of Alberta benefited from at least an inch of rain over the past week, said Harry Brook, a crops specialist with Alberta[...]
Alberta crops need rain, heat
(Resource News International) -- Spring seeding is mostly complete in Alberta, but producers there are now in desperate need of rain and warmer temperatures to help the crops along, according to a provincial crops specialist. "This might not be the year to grow corn, let's put it that way," Harry Brook, a crops specialist with[...]