Initial drought list ready for 2022 livestock tax deferrals

Many of the Prairie livestock producers forced by drought to make "difficult herd management decisions" in the 2022 income tax year are now eligible to defer the taxable income from those decisions. Federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau on Tuesday released the initial list of designated regions in Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan where livestock tax deferral[...]


Harvest woes rally canola, turn some farmers into winners

Winnipeg | Reuters -- As some Western Canada farmers watched rain and snow turn their ripening canola fields into bogs, Rob Stone could count his blessings. Harvest weather was kinder to his farm at Davidson, Sask., about 100 km southeast of Saskatoon, and Stone finished harvesting canola by mid-September. Then, when worries about four million[...]

Alberta rain good news for farmers, bad news for grasshoppers

CNS Canada -- After a dry spring, the rainfall across Alberta is a welcome change -- unless you're a grasshopper. "I'd hoped that over the weekend with the rain we had it would drown the little buggers out. When they're small like that, they're easily drowned if there's water on the surface," said crop specialist[...]


Mild winter, poor snow cover watched in Alberta, Saskatchewan

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[...]

Western Prairies see low yields as harvest ramps up

CNS Canada -- This summer’s erratic weather has taken its toll on plant development in Alberta and parts of western Saskatchewan, according to crop-watchers in those areas. “We have heard that dry conditions have caused plants (peas) to slough off or have the tillers dry off and have lost those heads,” said Barry Yaremcio at[...]


Central Alberta receives weekend rainfall

Commodity News Service Canada — Many regions of central Alberta saw some beneficial rainfall going into the weekend, which provided some relief to dry fields and aided crops as they head into the filling stage. “What it’s basically going to do is help fill the crops. In some places they had up to two inches of rain[...]

Cold, snowfall not likely to hurt Alta. crops

CNS Canada -- Cold temperatures that brought some snow and frost to some parts of Alberta overnight won't likely cause much damage to crops. "Most of our crops aren't up yet; there's been a fair bit of seeding going on, but I haven't seen any emerged crops yet. So, it's pretty much a non-issue at[...]


Some farmers already seeding in southern Alberta

CNS Canada -- Some farmers in southern Alberta are seeding earlier than normal this spring, thanks to some recent warmer weather. "Some guys are just starting to turn a wheel in southern Alberta," Harry Brook, crop specialist with Alberta's provincial Ag-Info Centre in Stettler, said Thursday. Soil temperatures are still not very warm, so more[...]

Prairie forage crops to benefit from early spring weather

CNS Canada -- Forage crops in Western Canada are in a much better place this spring compared to a year ago, as spring's early arrival will benefit crop development. The milder winter was also beneficial in preserving forage supplies, with feed stocks adequate to good in many regions, said Terry Kowalchuk, a provincial forage specialist[...]