Average sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies over the Pacific Ocean for the week centred on Dec. 5. (CPC.ncep.noaa.gov)

U.S. forecaster sees 90 per cent chance of El Nino in winter

Reading Time: < 1 minute Reuters — There is a 90 per cent chance of the El Nino weather pattern emerging during the Northern Hemisphere winter of 2018-19, a U.S. government weather forecaster said on Thursday. “The official forecast favours the formation of a weak El Nino,” the National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center (CPC) said in a monthly forecast. […] Read more




Photo: iStock

Fair weather welcome for harvest wrap-up in Sask.

Reading Time: 2 minutes CNS Canada – Thanks to good weather during the last half of October 99 per cent of Saskatchewan’s crop has been harvested according to Saskatchewan Agriculture’s final Crop Report of 2018. However, snow and rain in early November has delayed the harvest of the remaining crops such as flax and oats, but producers hope to […] Read more


Photo: Thinkstock

Alberta harvest nearing completion

Reading Time: 2 minutes CNS Canada – Alberta farmers made significant harvest progress in late-October, with nearly 95 per cent of crops off the field as of Oct. 30, according to the final crop report of the season from Alberta Agriculture. On a crop-by-crop basis, spring wheat was 96.1 per cent harvested, durum 95.4 per cent, barley 95.6 per […] Read more

(Image courtesy Farmers Edge)

Self-checking field health mapping system launched

Reading Time: 3 minutes The farmer’s job of poring over satellite field maps looking for disease, weed and insect trouble is about to go automatic. Winnipeg-based digital ag consulting firm Farmers Edge recently released Health Change Maps and Notifications, a new function that automatically scans the company’s daily satellite imagery and alerts growers of any changes in field health […] Read more


Despite several years of successful winter grazing, Mike Buis has a Plan B of also baling a cover crop blend to have in reserve if weather doesn’t co-operate.

Another cover crop bonus – winter grazing

This Ontario producer lets the cows do the work, meaning benefits for both him and his crop-growing neighbour

Reading Time: 5 minutes Cover crops have caught on like wildfire for corn producers in the U.S. and Eastern Canada, mainly because of their benefits for soil health. But some producers have found another bonus — a source of feed for grazing cattle. Mike Buis has been doing it for about 15 years, seeing the overall benefits in animal […] Read more



As the weather window opened up, a Manitoba soybean producer near Bagot takes to the field on Oct. 17, 2018.  Photo: File/Greg Berg

Manitoba harvest nearing completion

Reading Time: < 1 minute CNS Canada – Warm and dry weather helped advance harvest across Manitoba during the week ended Oct. 22, according to the provincial report. Harvest progress was 91 per cent complete as of Oct. 22, up seven percentage points from the previous week. The spring wheat, barley, oat and dry bean harvests are 99 per cent […] Read more

The Green Gold program focuses on quality rather than quantity for the first cut, but it’s also helped producers harvest more cuts per year.

Knowing when it’s ‘hay day’

A provincial sampling program helps producers decide the best time to cut alfalfa for maximum RFV

Reading Time: 3 minutes An alfalfa-monitoring program designed more than 20 years ago continues to pay dividends for Manitoba dairy producers and the domestic and export dairy hay industry. Manitoba Forage and Grasslands Association’s (MFGA) “Green Gold” program just wrapped up the program’s 23rd year of helping to predict “Hay Day” — the date when harvested pure alfalfa stands […] Read more