Agriculture Weather & Forecast

Brown mustard. (Peggy Greb photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

Prairie mustard acreage depends on spring moisture

By Dave Sims January 25, 2018

Reading Time: 2 minutes CNS Canada — The 2018 mustard crop in Western Canada could hit half a million acres according to an industry expert, but he cautions that number could be much lower if dry soil conditions persist until spring. In 2017, there were 385,000 acres of mustard seed planted in Western Canada, down from 525,000 acres in […] Read more

Livestock, Markets, Reuters, Weather

U.S. livestock: Weather, cash prices rally CME live cattle

By Theopolis Waters January 22, 2018

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures turned higher on Monday, spurred by last Friday’s strong cash prices and the start this week of another round of wintry weather in parts of the northern U.S. Plains, traders said. February live cattle finished 1.65 cents/lb. at 123.55 cents (all figures US$). April ended […] Read more

Sahara sand dunes loom over the village of Taghit in western Algeria, about 300 km south of Ain Sefra where snow fell this past week. (CIA.gov)

Crops, Weather

More snow lately over the Sahara than the Prairies

By Phil Franz-Warkentin January 12, 2018

Reading Time: 2 minutes CNS Canada — Parts of the Sahara Desert received rare snowfall over the past week, with up to 40 cm falling in the Algerian desert town of Ain Sefra. That freak snow — only the third time in 40 years — made for some fantastic photographs before melting, but would be more welcome in Western […] Read more

The Mississippi River. (Mark D. Tomer photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

Crops, Reuters, Weather

New Year’s Day cold snap to hit U.S. winter wheat, rivers

By Julie Ingwersen December 29, 2017

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — A New Year’s Day cold snap in the southern U.S. Plains poses a threat to winter wheat, particularly in Kansas, the country’s biggest producer of the grain, agricultural meteorologists said. Farmers in Kansas grow hard red winter (HRW) wheat, the largest U.S. wheat class that typically is milled into flour for […] Read more

(Gloria Solano-Aguilar photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

Livestock, Markets, Reuters, Weather

U.S. livestock: CME hogs ease from 10-month top on lower cash prices

By Theopolis Waters December 27, 2017

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hogs on Wednesday slid from a 10-month high, weakened by profit-taking and less money paid by packers for slaughter-ready, or cash, hogs, said analysts. February closed 0.5 cent lower at 71.025 cents (all figures US$). April ended down 0.1 cent, at 75.275 cents. Processors need fewer animals […] Read more

Beef Cattle, Forages, Pasture, Weather

Loans pledged for wildfire-damaged Alberta farms

By Country Guide Staff December 24, 2017

Reading Time: < 1 minute Ranchers and farmers in two southeastern Alberta municipalities hit by wildfire in mid-October may soon be able to apply for interest-free rebuilding loans. The province’s Agriculture Financial Services Corp. (AFSC) on Wednesday announced loan applications will be available Jan. 8 for eligible producers in Cypress County and the MD of Acadia. Applications under the Hilda […] Read more

Crops, Markets, Reuters, Weather

U.S. grains: Wheat climbs on frigid weather

By Karl Plume December 20, 2017

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat futures rebounded on Wednesday to notch a 1-1/2-week high on worries about frigid weather across the Wheat Belt that threatens to damage crops lacking protective snow cover. Corn also rose on spillover support from wheat and as traders covered short positions following recent contract lows. Soybeans fell to three-month […] Read more

BASF’s dicamba production facility in Beaumont, Tex. (BASF.com)

Crops, Reuters, Weather

Minnesota joins U.S. states limiting dicamba

By Tom Polansek December 13, 2017

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Minnesota became the latest U.S. state on Tuesday to restrict controversial weed killers made by Monsanto and BASF that were linked to widespread crop damage, while Arkansas took a step back from imposing new limits. The U.S. has faced an agricultural crisis this year caused by new versions of the herbicides, […] Read more

Forages, Livestock, Pasture, Weather

Wildfire-damaged grazing areas up for Saskatchewan aid

By Country Guide Staff December 8, 2017

Reading Time: 2 minutes Saskatchewan’s provincial disaster assistance program (PDAP) will be opened up to cover southwestern grazing areas damaged by this fall’s wildfires. The province’s government relations minister, Larry Doke, on Wednesday announced producers who incurred wildfire damage on “tame and native lands” intended for grazing may now apply for assistance to get feed for affected livestock. Winds […] Read more

Beef Cattle, Hogs, Livestock, Markets, Weather

U.S. livestock: Fund selloff sinks CME live cattle to 4-month low

By Theopolis Waters November 20, 2017

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters – Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures fell to their lowest level in four months on Monday, hit by fund selling and Friday’s bearish U.S. government cattle report, traders said. Last Friday’s U.S. Department of Agriculture monthly Cattle-On-Feed report showed ranchers in October placed the highest number of cattle in feed lots […] Read more

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