The Klein family (l-r): Amy, Connor, Beckham, Luke, Mackenzie, Sylvia, Pat. Janelle (on tire) Eythan, Vicky, Wanda, Gage, Kalissa (on tire), Evan, and Cassie. Up top: Christina, Lily, Ace and Emery.

Retiring back to the Klein farm

Emery Klein's journey has brought him full-circle to mixed farming in central Alberta

The Prairie Farms feature is an ongoing series that highlights western Canadian producers and their farm operations. These producer and farm profiles will share the strategies, tips and experiences that have helped Prairie farmers be successful. Along with crop production strategies, this Q-and-A series will look at the personalities and lifestyles of farmers across Western […] Read more

File photo of a Saskatchewan grid road in winter. (Daxus/iStock/Getty Images)

Prairie forecast: More typical mid-winter weather

Issued Jan. 17, covering Jan. 17 to 24

For this forecast period it looks like it'll simply be winter--not bone chilling cold, but not springtime warm. The general pattern that appears to be developing across the prairies is showing warm air trying to push northeastwards out of the western U.S., but with a northwesterly flow across the prairies, it looks like there will be a parade of cold, arctic high-pressure systems dropping southeastwards every few of days. The question is, just how far north will the warm air push, or for far south will the arctic air push?



Cattle use round bales as a wind break. (NDSU photo)

Klassen: Yearling return to the lineup on strong demand

Frigid temperatures result in limited volumes

The market hasn’t missed a beat and started the year where it left in December. The only difference is there are larger supplies of yearlings coming on stream. The benchmark levels had backgrounded steers averaging 1,000 pounds trading from $280-$285/cwt with top bids rounding at $290/cwt. Steers averaging 850-pounds were averaging $300/cwt with top-notch larger groups peaking at $305.


bookshelves in an old-fashioned archive

In this information age, the information is aging

Up-to-date research is out there, but not always readily or easily available to farmers

I enjoy reading various agronomy- and soil-related extension information. Recently, I was reading an article from Alberta Grains’ newsletter The Growing Point on winter wheat production. At the end of the article was a link to a factsheet. That link took me to an Alberta Agriculture Agdex publication — which I wrote 16 years ago, […] Read more