Farmers across the eastern provinces may finally be getting a break from the extreme moisture thats been flooding parts of Quebec and delaying planting for farmers in parts of Ontario. It may be uncomfortably humid, but a welcome change from soaked homes and fields. How will the rest of the Spring shape up? What… Read More
Month: May 2011
Moisture, too much or too little has been the general weather description across the West this year. We have had floods that have covered thousands of acres in Manitoba and caused land to go unseeded and people and animals to be evacuated from affected areas and excessively dry conditions like in the Peace River region… Read More
Wet weather and flood conditions have packed a punch this year in Manitoba. While the effect on cropland has been tremendous, the effect on cattle producers has been widespread as well. This is the time of year when producers move cattle to pasture, but this year, a great deal of pastureland is underwater or soaked… Read More
The trials and tribulations of Ontario soybean corn planting is well documented. An Ontario corn grower told me this morning that even the old timers cannot remember a spring like this one. With 60-65% of the Ontario corn planted producers are running out of time to get this corn crop in the ground. If warmer… Read More
Most people think, with wet, cool conditions, cutworms are not a problem. For the most part that’s true, but the cutworm is a very diverse insect with many different species and types. This makes it difficult to typify their behaviour as a whole and risky to ignore them just because of the weather. They can… Read More
If you thought that the Land Stewardship Act (Bill 36) was crazy well you have to check out what Keith Wilson, Wilson Law Office is saying about Bill 50. In an effort to export power to the United States the Alberta government is going to over build the transmission infrastructure inside this province. Also note… Read More
With the supremely wet weather that has been significantly delaying corn and soybean. Another one of the impacts of this wet weather is the need to consider fungicides for your wheat crop. Wet conditions tend to bring on disease and that can dampen your yield expectations if not handled accordingly. Phil Needham is a leading… Read More
The business world has gone mobile. From the smartphone to the rise of the tablet and the advent of the cloud server, people want, and can get their information anywhere and anytime. Agriculture is no different. Long hours in the tractor can now be ( fortunately or unfortunately ) long hours at the office. Every… Read More
Its sometimes staggering how quickly the mood of a market can change. With US cattle on feed placements being higher by 10% compared to a year ago the resulting plethora of beef to move to the market means lower prices in the short term. Canadian cattle feeders are getting the benefit of a very narrow… Read More
This spring has been an especially tough one for farmers in Manitoba. Wet conditions and the flooding brought on by excessive moisture have added stress upon stress to farmers looking at back to back seasons where water was a major issue. Unprecedented flood waters have spilled over the banks of the Assiniboine River onto thousands… Read More
By Kevin Serfas, Farmer in Southern Alberta Its one of those moments in time where you say, “where were you when Princess Diana passed away?” Recently we had another where you moment when the Federal Conservatives were re-elected with a majority government. I can definitely tell you where I was…… It was May 2 and… Read More
As we get closer to June, with acres still to be planted and wet weather still on the horizon, farmers begin to think about switching from corn to soybeans. Some Ontario farmers are even considering lowering the CHU’s of the soybeans they will plant. The one thing that makes soybeans different than corn is that… Read More
The G20 may be dealing with one of the most universally concerning issues its ever faced as it attempts to address the wild swings in food prices across the globe. The developing world is most urgently in need of help as the prices of basic staples have reached levels previously unheard of. Political unrest, malnutrition… Read More
In case missed it….the 2011 spring is providing to be a real challenge across the country. It is wet everywhere except for Northern Alberta. Areas like Southern Alberta are over 75% seeded while parts of Ontario have only 40% of the corn planted and 5% soybeans. Eastern Saskatchewan and Manitoba have major issues while Peace… Read More
The food versus fuel debate seems to be alive and well according to Kevin Grier from the George Morris Center. Kevin also believes that some of the people that should be the most update are livestock producers in Canada. As Kevin mention in the below interview, with 40% of the US corn crop being burned… Read More