Not knowing what the weather will do is one of the great challenges when farming or ranching. While a producer can do everything within their power to ensure a successful crop, rain—or the lack of it—at inopportune times can spell disaster throughout the growing season. Weather and what it may look like for the coming… Read More
Category: Drought
Agriculture and Agri-Food has announced an early list of regions that are eligible for Livestock Tax Deferral in 2024. Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay made the announcement June 14 in order to “provide producers with more certainty heading into the summer months.” The Livestock Tax Deferral provision allows livestock producers in certain areas who are forced… Read More
Depending on where you farm, you’re either rejoicing in a return to moisture (but where is the warmth?) or cursing the clouds that continue to roll in, day after day. Canada is a big place, and it’s never a good idea to make generalizations; however, generally speaking the Prairies are in a much better moisture… Read More
It’s stroke awareness week! Peter Johnson starts off this episode of Wheat Pete’s Word by talking about both volunteering and the importance of catching strokes early. Medical procedures can now reverse almost all of the negative impacts of a stroke if they can be treated within the first four to six hours. Remember the acronym… Read More
Drought conditions in the last couple of years have led to St. Mary River Irrigation District (SMRID) south of Lethbridge signing new water sharing memorandums of understanding amongst users in four sub-basins of southern Alberta. Without a significant change in reservoir levels, the water allocation for the 2024 year stands at eight inches of water… Read More
Nearly 3,500 livestock producers in Saskatchewan who were eligible for drought assistance through the AgriRecovery program launched last October will be receiving a top-up of up to $50 per head from the federal and provincial governments. Provincial agriculture minister David Marit announced the additional payments during a visit to the Saskatchewan Cattlemen’s Association head office… Read More
Southern Alberta has been in a multi-year drought, so when the most substantial snowfall in, well, years, fell last week, there’s been plenty of talk of how to keep the snow where it is in hopes it percolates in to the soil. There’s also been action, and one farmer’s innovative approach to water conservation has… Read More
The odds of much-needed precipitation in Western Canada this spring will depend on how quickly the Pacific Ocean transitions out of El Nino, but even if a switch to La Nina opens the door to more moisture, it likely won’t be enough to replenish low water supplies in the driest areas of the Prairies, according… Read More
Western Canadian farmers and ranchers have endured several years of drought over the last five seasons. While AgriRecovery and other national drought programming has been triggered in all the Prairie Provinces, there are other provincial insurance products available. Both Saskatchewan and Alberta have modified moisture deficiency insurance products in the last two years, with Alberta… Read More
The last time Shaun Haney sat down with Matt Makens, of Makens Weather, the possibility of moisture returning to Western Canada was slim. Now, as the two reconnect in person at the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association #CattleCon, Makens has a little more confidence that the west could indeed see some early — and desperately needed —… Read More