Reading Time: < 1 minute MarketsFarm — Though many producers bemoan current drier-than-normal springtime conditions across the Prairies, sunflower crops are primed for a good year. “As long as there’s enough moisture to germinate, they immediately grow a really deep root system,” said Ben Friesen of Scoular Canada. While Statistics Canada estimated the 2019 sunflower acreage to remain pretty much […] Read more
Sunflowers doing well despite drought
Prairies can expect unexpected from El Nino this summer
Reading Time: 2 minutes MarketsFarm — The U.S. National Weather Service Climate Prediction Center on Thursday reported a 65 per cent chance of El Nino prevailing throughout 2019’s growing season. “A weak El Nino is likely to continue through the Northern Hemisphere summer 2019 (65 per cent chance) and possibly fall (50-55 per cent chance),” the CPC’s report said. […] Read more
Abrupt mid-March shift into spring predicted
Reading Time: < 1 minute Winter conditions are expected to remain the norm across the Canadian Prairies through the middle of March, when a sudden pattern change brings an abrupt start to spring, according to the latest seasonal forecast from The Weather Network. The quick move from cold to warm conditions raises the risk of flooding in areas with a […] Read more
Ready, set go! Harvest reprieve hits Prairies
Reading Time: 2 minutes CNS Canada — Prairie farmers struggling to get crops off fields under wet, cold conditions are about to get a reprieve — if they haven’t seen warmer weather already in their area. Natalie Hasell, a weather preparedness meteorologist for Environment Canada in Winnipeg, said most regions of British Columbia, Alberta, and southern and central Saskatchewan […] Read more
Pulse weekly outlook: Heat blast threatens chickpea yields
Reading Time: 2 minutes CNS Canada — Temperatures as high as 38 C were recorded in the western Prairies over the weekend — and with that heat comes questions about crop impact. Lentils and peas are far enough along that the recent heat wave is unlikely to affect them from a yield perspective, according to Carl Potts of Saskatchewan […] Read more
Drought’s effects linger on Prairies
Reading Time: 2 minutes CNS Canada — After a dry growing season last year in Western Canada, effects of the drought are still evident with news that most livestock producers won’t be doing a second cut of hay. “Pastures and hay fields didn’t get the moisture that they needed to really recharge over that winter period and get a […] Read more
Feed weekly outlook: Producers watching skies for signals
Reading Time: 2 minutes CNS Canada — Farmers and traders are keeping a watchful eye on the weather trying to sort out feed grain supplies. “This time of year, it’s a weather market and weather has been improving in much of Saskatchewan and in some of the more critically dry areas. They got a decent amount of moisture over […] Read more
U.S. grains: Bargain buying lifts CBOT wheat
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat futures rose on Wednesday on bargain buying after a three-session sell-off pushed the Chicago Board of Trade September contract to a one-week low, traders said. CBOT soybeans and corn ended flat to firmer, consolidating after recent declines and as investors awaited two key U.S. government crop reports later this […] Read more
U.S. grains: Wheat retreats on profit-taking, weather
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat futures fell about two per cent on Wednesday on a mix of profit-taking following 10-month highs established a day earlier and improving weather forecasts for U.S. and Canadian spring wheat regions, analysts said. Corn futures hit a one-month low and soybeans followed the weak trend. As of 12:51 p.m. […] Read more
May showers likely to leave growers unsatisfied
Reading Time: < 1 minute CNS Canada — Canada’s Prairies can expect to see regular rainfall in most regions during May, but it likely won’t be enough to offset dry conditions recorded over the past several months. According to Drew Lerner of World Weather Inc. in Kansas City, the first half of May should see average rainfall amounts in most […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
