Reading Time: 2 minutes A major influence on global weather and climate is the La Nina and El Nino cycles, which involve warming of the waters in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean. The changing ocean temperatures influence cloud formation and precipitation patterns. The El Nino phase describes warming, while the La Nina cooling in a similar area. In […] Read more
McMillan: La Nina, El Nino speculation may be premature
McMillan: Heat pushes Prairie crop development forward
Reading Time: 3 minutes Given the delays around seeding that stirred up fears of an early fall frost, many have said Canada’s Prairie crops needed a repeat of 2010 — in which a cool, wet slow growing season led into a September hotter than July or August. Prairie farmers have been blessed with hot and dry conditions over the […] Read more
McMillan: Prairie winter wheat harvest begins
Reading Time: 2 minutes Winter wheat harvest has begun in the eastern Prairies: Progress ranges from 25 to 30 per cent complete in eastern Manitoba, while in western Manitoba, and across Saskatchewan, the crop is ripening and will soon be ready for harvest. Following a late start to spring and a cool summer, winter cereal maturity was delayed. Maturity […] Read more
McMillan: USDA’s durum yield outlook brightens
Reading Time: 2 minutes The balance book for the U.S. wheat crop as a whole was largely unchanged in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s latest crop production report on Monday — but within its wheat classes, expectations for U.S. durum showed a significant change. U.S. durum saw the greatest change on a percentage basis compared to USDA’s July report, […] Read more
McMillan: Prairie oats crop looks good so far
Reading Time: 2 minutes While cool weather is a concern, western Canadian oat crops are in good to excellent condition so far, say industry analysts. In Alberta, the largest oat-producing province, the latest crop report from Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development said that as of July 30, 89 per cent of the crop was rated good to excellent condition, […] Read more
McMillan: U.S. wheat harvest behind the curve
Reading Time: 2 minutes The U.S. wheat harvest continues to roll off the field, albeit at a slower than normal pace. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) on Monday reported that nationally, the country’s winter wheat harvest is 57 per cent complete, compared to the 2008-to-2012 average of 64 per cent. Crop growth and development […] Read more
McMillan: Prairie flax acres rise, shift
Reading Time: 3 minutes It may have fallen short of the initial estimates for this year, but flax has seen its first increase in acreage since 2010. Initial estimates by Statistics Canada in its April seeding intentions repor saw farmers indicate they may seed 1.24 million acres. However, based on the June 25 Field Crop Reporting Series from Statistics […] Read more
McMillan: Soggy spring leaves U.S. durum unsown
Reading Time: 2 minutes Wet seeding conditions in the U.S. Northern Plains have reduced durum wheat area to well below trade expectations, according to Friday’s U.S. Department of Agriculture acreage report. In North Dakota, the largest durum-producing state, sown area dropped to 850,000 acres, similar to the record low in 2011 when saturated fields limited seeding to only 750,000 […] Read more
McMillan: Localized downpours plague parts of Prairies
Reading Time: 3 minutes It’s been an average year for rainfall in agricultural Western Canada so far this year — or at least that’s what you might conclude from looking at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s “Drought Watch” map showing precipitation since April 1. But average doesn’t count when most of the rain comes in just a few hours, which […] Read more
McMillan: Russia, Ukraine begin winter wheat, barley harvests
Reading Time: 2 minutes The initial harvests of winter barley and winter wheat have begun across southern Russia and Ukraine and are close to two weeks ahead of normal, encouraged by recent hot and dry weather. Multiple agencies anticipate exports from both countries to rebound following last year’s drought. In Ukraine, barley production is forecast to remain similar to […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
