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Prairie forecast: Mild start, then a chance of storms

Issued Feb. 21, covering Feb. 21 to 28, 2024

Sunshine prevailed a fair bit more over the last forecast period than expected and so did the milder temperatures. Oh, sure there were a couple of cold nights, especially over the eastern half of the prairies, but overall, temperatures ended up being about 2 to 4 C warmer than what was forecasted.






Poland is trying to move Ukraine grain by rail due to Russia’s blockade of Ukrainian sea ports on the Black Sea.  Photo: IanChrisGraham/iStock/Getty Images

U.S. corn, soybean, wheat yields to rise in 2024/25

More soybean acres; corn and wheat area to drop

Yields for United States soybeans, corn and wheat were projected to increase in 2024/25, according to the Department of Agriculture at its 100th annual Outlook Forum on Feb. 15. Also, the USDA said there’s to be more soybean acres but less for corn and wheat for the coming crop year.



black calf on pasture

Time to buy some cows?

Cattle right now are more profitable than crops, this farm management expert says

Glacier FarmMedia — When all costs are factored into the equation, raising cattle should be more profitable than growing crops in 2024 — and in some cases, much more so. “Right now, I can tell you that the returns per acre are higher than any of the crops,” said Ben Hamm, a farm management specialist […] Read more