Reading Time: 3 minutes CNS Canada –– Canadian farmers seeded a bit more canola and a bit less wheat than originally expected, according to updated acreage estimates from Statistics Canada, released Tuesday. However, worsening drought conditions in the western Prairies over the past month and the need for reseeding due to frost damage earlier in June mean actual yields […] Read more
Yields to take precedence over acres in Canada
Questions abound ahead of StatsCan acreage report
Reading Time: 2 minutes CNS Canada — Statistics Canada will release its updated acreage estimates for the year on Tuesday, but the timing of the survey could lead to more questions and second-guessing than normal given the likely adjustments and yield losses over the past month. The survey was conducted before a drought took hold in Alberta and Saskatchewan, […] Read more
U.S. corn, DDGS imports likely as drought tightens feed supply
Reading Time: 2 minutes CNS Canada –– Livestock producers in Western Canada will likely have to import feed grains such as corn and dried distillers grains with solubles (DDGS) this year, as drought is seen trimming domestic barley and other feed production. “We’ve seen droughts before, and when it’s happened, usually what has to happen is we import other […] Read more
Reservoir formed by Hoover Dam dips to record low
Reading Time: 2 minutes Reuters — The largest capacity reservoir in the United States has hit its lowest water level in history following years of severe drought that have dramatically reduced flows from the Colorado River, water managers said on Wednesday. Officials said Nevada’s Lake Mead, the 79-year-old reservoir created by the massive Hoover Dam, registered 1,074.98 feet (327.7 […] Read more
Prices to rise as yield prospects drop for durum
Reading Time: < 1 minute CNS Canada — Mounting dryness concerns in some of the prime durum-growing regions of Western Canada have likely already cut into yield prospects, which should support prices going forward. Canadian farmers intended to plant 5.5 million acres of durum this year, well above the 4.75 million seeded the previous year and the largest crop since […] Read more
Western states to get US$110M in drought aid
Reading Time: < 1 minute Washington | Reuters — The White House said Friday it would spend an additional US$110 million to help farmers and communities in western states hit hard by drought and wildfires. The drought has affected a third of the western United States, and President Barack Obama was slated to discuss it with western governors in a […] Read more
California curtails some senior water rights due to drought
Reading Time: < 1 minute Los Angeles | Reuters — California’s water board curtailed senior water rights on Friday in the state’s Delta, San Joaquin and Sacramento regions due to drought, in the first move of its kind during the current drought, officials said. The curtailment affects more than 100 senior water rights holders, with most of those located near […] Read more
Dry areas of Prairies still waiting for rain
Reading Time: 2 minutes CNS Canada –– The continued lack of moisture across a large portion of Alberta and Saskatchewan is becoming more of a concern for farmers in the region, but there is a chance of rain in some nearby forecasts. Shannon Friesen, a cropping management specialist for Saskatchewan Agriculture in Moose Jaw, said some livestock producers are […] Read more
Lethbridge feed barley feels slight lift from canola
Reading Time: 2 minutes CNS Canada — It seems the recent surge in canola has carried over to the feed barley market near Lethbridge. A weekend frost and other issues saw canola futures jump sharply in recent days, and according to trader Jim Beusekom at Market Place Commodities near Lethbridge, that rally has given strength to the feed barley […] Read more
West’s soaked, parched tax deferral zones expanded
Reading Time: 3 minutes More rural municipalities and counties that saw drought or excess moisture last year have been added to the federal list of areas where ranchers may now defer some of their 2014 taxable income. The federal government on Thursday rolled out its final list of designated areas for the 2014 tax year, adding to an already-long […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
