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[...]

Rains stall Saskatchewan seeding

Farmers in waterlogged parts of eastern Saskatchewan are nearly out of time for fields to dry in time for planting, after steady rains in the past few days, provincial government officials said Wednesday. "Every second day for the past week, it seems like it's been raining and raining," said Daphne Cruise, regional crops specialist with[...]


Prairie flooding delays seeding two weeks so far

Farmers in flooded Western Canada look to plant at least two weeks later than normal as average to heavy snowpack melts on saturated fields and causes rivers to overflow. The most optimistic scenario would see farmers in Saskatchewan and Alberta, the two biggest producers of wheat and canola, start planting in early May, assuming that[...]

Sun-Rype buys Washington fruit processor

Fruit juice maker Sun-Rype has bought one of its major U.S. suppliers in Washington state for an undisclosed sum. The Kelowna, B.C. firm announced Friday it had a deal effective Sept. 30 to buy the business and assets of Yakama Juice of Selah, Wash., near Yakima, from the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama[...]


Grain research goals laid out for excess railway cash

The heir to about $67 million in excess grain handling revenue from Canada's two main railways now plans to get "more directive" in the types of grain research it will fund. And the Western Grains Research Foundation Endowment Fund on Thursday laid out its priorities for what it calls a "directed research" program. Previously, the[...]

Warm temps needed for Alta. crop growth

(Resource News International) -- Wet weather conditions have slowed the development of grain and oilseed crops across the central and southern regions of Alberta, according to a provincial crop specialist. "Crop development was probably the furthest ahead in the northern growing areas of the Peace River district," said Harry Brook, a crop specialist with the[...]


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[...]


Limited seeding seen underway in southern Alta.

(Resource News International) -- Spring fieldwork has begun in select areas of Alberta with some seeding operations underway in the extreme southern regions of the province, according to a provincial crop specialist.  "I would say seeding is very limited still, with less than five per cent of the intended area in the ground in regions[...]

Alta. soils remain dry despite snowfall: AARD

(Resource News International) -- The precipitation that fell in the form of snow over the past few days looks to have done little to alleviate the dry soil moisture conditions across many ag growing areas in Alberta. "There's been little accumulation of snow to date and what has fallen has barely been enough to wet[...]