Reading Time: < 1 minute With spring planting on the Canadian Prairies a few weeks to a month away, the region’s weather outlook is very likely to take somewhat different paths, according to Scott Kehler of the Manitoba-based Weatherlogics.
Western Prairies to be cooler, wetter than eastern half
Editor’s Note: The character of change in agriculture
Reading Time: 2 minutes We like to draw straight lines. It’s nothing to apologize about. We all like to look around us at how things stand, then we latch onto what we see as the big trend lines and draw them out into the future, thinking that’s how to predict the world of 2030 or even 2050. It’s nothing […] Read more
Prairie forecast: Spring trying to regain control
Forecast issued March 27, covering March 27 to April 3, 2024
Reading Time: < 1 minute The main weather maker will be a trough of low pressure forecasted to develop over the northwestern U.S. today, which will then track eastwards over the next several days.
Agriculture workers not mentioned in TFW rule changes
Food processing sees foreign worker limit reduced by ten per cent; construction, healthcare exempted
Reading Time: 2 minutes The federal government announced Thursday that, effective May 1, some sectors would be allowed no more than 20 per cent of their workforces to be made up of temporary foreign workers (TWFs) brought in via the low wage stream—down from 30 per cent since 2022.
Funding cut shouldn’t affect local 4-H clubs
AAFC has cut its funding to 4-H Canada by 30 per cent, but group says it has other irons in the fire
Reading Time: < 1 minute A recent federal funding cut shouldn’t affect local 4-H clubs, at least for now, says 4-H Canada. The national organization said its most recent round of funding from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada totals $1.7 million over three years. In the past, it has received about $1 million per year, said interim CEO Hugh Maynard by email.
Prairies expected to be cooler, wetter this year
A La Niña weather pattern is on its way and may even bring timely spring rains
Reading Time: 3 minutes There’s a good chance western Canadian farmers and ranchers will see rain in April and May to get crops started and grass growing, says a U.S. based weather scientist.
Are you ready for climate change?
[Change Management: Climate] Today’s changing climate may bring new and heightened risks and opportunities
Reading Time: 5 minutes Farmers know better than anyone that changes in temperature or precipitation have a ripple effect on our interdependent global agricultural systems. The impacts of climate change could result in more disruptions to food supply chains around the world and increased market volatility here in Canada. For most of Canada, complex climate models predict wetter springs, […] Read more
Teasing out the social angle of sustainable ag research
Recently funded network to bring together social scientists, agriculture and community groups
Reading Time: 2 minutes The federal government pledged the cash March 19 to launch the Common Ground Canada Network. The initiative will be led by Dalhousie University’s Karen Foster, Canada research chair in sustainable rural futures for Atlantic Canada.
The art of giving and seeking advice
How good are you at giving advice? Better yet, how good would your family and your farm connections say you are at taking it?
Reading Time: 6 minutes We all like to know the answer, so when a farm discussion comes up and it’s obvious that a family member, employee or partner is struggling, it feels good to help, especially if the solution seems clever or obvious to us. But if you value those relationships and if you value your reputation, the experts […] Read more
This old land: Where is farming in Quebec headed?
[The Rent Shake-Up: Quebec] Quebecers have been farming in la belle province for over 400 years. So how about 400 years from now?
Reading Time: 9 minutes In a province where only two per cent of its land is suitable for agriculture, Quebec has been losing cropland to the province’s expanding cities at the rate of 12 football fields every day, and it has been losing farmland at that speed for nearly three decades. Even now, says Quebec’s UPA, its main farm […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
