Average sea surface temperature anomalies over the equatorial Pacific Ocean for the week centred on May 5, 2021 compared to 1981-2010 base period. (CPC.ncep.noaa.gov)

La Nina done, U.S. CPC says

Neutral weather likely through summer

Reuters — A U.S. government weather forecaster said on Thursday La Nina has ended and El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) neutral conditions are likely to continue through the Northern Hemisphere summer. “ENSO neutral” refers to periods in which neither El Nino nor La Nina is present, often coinciding with the transition between the two weather patterns, […] Read more

The Kenworth W900L offers a classic look meant to appeal to buyers who want some retro cool factor in their trucks.

Want really cool or functional? Kenworth trucks offer both

The classic W900L and newer T880 Class 8 trucks offer producers a choice

Just as modern farm tractors all seem to incorporate similar styling and design cues in their general appearances, the same is true for modern heavy trucks. Aerodynamics figure prominently in modern truck design due to the fuel savings to be had when racking up thousands of kilometres every month. Manufacturers have been influenced in how […] Read more


Editor’s Column: Farmers are worried about dry conditions this spring — here’s what some are doing about it

Editor’s Column: Farmers are worried about dry conditions this spring — here’s what some are doing about it

If you are worried about the dry conditions heading into this spring, a recent survey says you’re not alone. It also reveals the changes some Prairie producers will make to their plans for 2021 in response to the dry conditions. On April 9-10, a total of 719 active Canadian producers responded to a survey carried […] Read more

Froese: Stop breaking Mom’s heart — deal with your entitlement issues

Froese: Stop breaking Mom’s heart — deal with your entitlement issues

Many people avoid talking about this when it comes to farm transition plans. This has to stop

As Mother’s Day arrives in this Great Pause of 2021, many of you are caught in the messy middle of family dynamics. Let’s jump in and start dealing with the issue of entitlement on your farm team.  I use the words “deal with entitlement.” It’s that Undiscussabull, the bull in the middle of your farm […] Read more


Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Drought Monitor map for the Prairie provinces as of April 30, 2021. (AAFC)

‘Extreme drought’ expands in Prairies

Southern Manitoba, southeastern Saskatchewan parched

MarketsFarm — The newly released map from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Canadian Drought Monitor (CDM) shows the Prairies’ ongoing drought getting worse. According to AAFC’s nationwide map released on Friday, southwestern Manitoba, parts of southern Saskatchewan and the southeast corner of Alberta are under CDM’s classification of Extreme (D3) drought as of April 30. Communities […] Read more

Environmental, social and governance investing

Environmental, social and governance investing

Is it another new fad?

Business and investing fads come and go, much like other aspects of life. Those with merit last longer than others, while many fall into the trash bin of overhyped and bad ideas. Two decades ago, Six Sigma became a highly touted business concept, designed to reduce defect rates to less than 0.0003 per cent. I […] Read more


‘When moisture is the overriding limiting factor to crop yield, even the best land will not pay the mortgage in the long run. The past decade of extra precipitation has led to prices that, I think, are not sustainable.’ – Les Henry.

Les Henry: Farmland prices and net farm income

Beware the other side of the average

We have had recent inquiries about an update on farmland values. Our previous columns on this topic have included only Saskatchewan data. As I began to search for updated data, I stumbled upon Statistics Canada data for all three Prairie provinces. As well, net income from 1926 to 2019 was available. The raw data is […] Read more



Toban Dyck: Policy battles and progress

Toban Dyck: Policy battles and progress

There used to be a thing called the Manitoba Pool Elevators. It was a grain company founded in the early 1900s, but its history and trajectory through the Saskatchewan Wheat Pool and Agricore United is not the topic of this column. There are two filing cabinets in our basement. They contain farm records from before […] Read more

An eight-inch-wide strip of tillage in a field with heavy corn residue.

Several benefits come with an eight-inch-wide strip of tillage

Western Canadian row crop farmers Dean Toews in southern Manitoba and John Kolk in southern Alberta have different levels of experience with strip tillage, but both see the value of working up these eight-inch-wide strips of soil in their fields with a range of production and conservation benefits. Toews, who is part of the family […] Read more