Reading Time: 4 minutes Our weather pattern looks to be on the brink of a shift as a trough of low pressure begins to develop along the West Coast.
For those of you in Alberta, this will mean cooler and wetter conditions. In Manitoba, it looks like summer will continue for at least one more week. If you are in Saskatchewan, well, you will be stuck in the middle of these two features.
Prairie forecast: Cooler and wetter in the west, dry and warm in the east
Forecast issued Sept. 11, covering Sept. 11 to 18, 2024
Klassen: Feeder cattle markets in price discovery mode
Reading Time: 2 minutes For the week ending September 7, Western Canadian yearling markets traded steady to $5/cwt higher in Alberta but steady to $6/cwt lower in Saskatchewan and Manitoba compared to seven days earlier. Major feedlots in Alberta appear to be focusing on local cattle. The calf market is in price discovery mode with prices quoted $10/cwt higher to $10/cwt lower.
Saskatchewan Crop Report: Harvest marches on despite rains, hail
Reading Time: 2 minutes Severe storms brought strong winds, heavy rains, and, in some places, golf ball-sized hail over parts of Saskatchewan. Nevertheless, the province’s harvest continued to progress during the week ended Aug. 26, according to the agriculture department’s weekly crop report.
Prairie forecast: Summer weather not over yet
Reading Time: 2 minutes It looks like summer is not over yet. After a week of fairly unstable weather across much of the Prairies, it looks like we're moving into a period of stable warm weather to start September.
Klassen: Larger supplies weigh on feeder market
Reading Time: 2 minutes For the week ending August 24, Western Canadian yearling prices were down $6-$12/cwt from seven days earlier. Calf markets traded $10-$12/cwt below week-ago levels. Larger numbers are coming on stream resulting in the softer tone.
Saskatchewan Crop Report: Harvest continues amidst scattered storms
Reading Time: 2 minutes Saskatchewan reported 15 per cent of its harvest was complete, compared to 21 per cent at this time last year, but higher than the five-year average of 13 per cent and the 10-year average of 11 per cent. In the southwest region, 29 per cent of its harvest was complete while the northwest region was only at one per cent complete.
Prairie forecast: Warm but unsettled weather
Forecast issued Aug. 21, covering Aug. 21 to 28, 2024
Reading Time: 3 minutes Last week's forecast got off to a rough start. The area of low pressure that pushed through the eastern Prairies ended up as a large upper level low. Because those are slow to move out, they can affect systems trying to move east by backing them up or forcing them to take a different path. So, while the overall pressure pattern across the Prairies was still slack as forecasted, the details got all messed up.
Klassen: Yearling market softens on economic uncertainty
Reading Time: 2 minutes For the week ending August 17, Western Canadian feeder cattle prices were $3-$5 lower on average. Three weeks ago, 1,000 pound steers off grass reached up to $340/cwt. This past week, these same cattle were quoted in the range of $315-$325/cwt.
Saskatchewan harvest underway amid hot and dry weather
Reading Time: 2 minutes Pasture conditions in much of Saskatchewan were diminishing due to the hot and dry conditions. While sporadic rainfall in north and east parts of the province will benefit later seeded crops as they mature, but came too late for early seeded crops.
Prairie forecast: Weak systems make for tricky forecast
Forecast issued Aug. 14, covering Aug. 14 to 21, 2024
Reading Time: 3 minutes The slack or weak pattern looks to continue into much of next week, which makes it difficult to pinpoint which areas could see showers or thunderstorms, and on which days. Best chances for precipitation look to be over the eastern Prairies. This type of pattern also makes it difficult to predict where forest fire smoke will be.
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
