Lightning in fields can be a source of nitrogen but at times can result in crop damage which, at a glance, resembles a very localized disease outbreak, plant pathologist Ieuan Evans writes.
Tag Archives crop damage
Lightning gives and takes in Prairie fields
Practical Research: Certain types of storms provide almost 15 per cent of the world’s fixed nitrogen fertilizer
Saskatchewan Crop Report: Varied precipitation as harvest begins
Dry areas begin harvest operations
Some areas of Saskatchewan received more than 100 mm of rain during the week ended Aug. 4, 2025, but others had little to none. Harvest operations began in those dry areas.
Alberta Crop Report: Rains in the south, dryness in the north
Rain fell onto the southern half of Alberta last week, while hot and dry conditions persisted in the northern half, according to the province's crop report released on July 18.
Pulse Weekly: Conditions vary across Saskatchewan
Weather, lack of moisture affecting crops
Pulse conditions in Saskatchewan are varied across the province with the worst-faring crops located in the western half.
What we know about how wildfire smoke affects Prairie crops
Impacts depend on smoke quantity, plant progress, surrounding weather conditions
Prairie farmers don't have to go far right now to see and feel the effects of smoke in the atmosphere — but what their crops will experience this year is a more complicated matter.
What we know about how wildfire smoke affects Prairie crops
Impacts depend on smoke quantity, plant progress, surrounding weather conditions
With nearly 100 active wildfires across the three Prairie provinces at this writing, farmers don’t have to go far to see and feel the effects of smoke in the atmosphere — but what this year’s crops will experience is a more complicated matter. If you’ve got time for some reading right now, here we’ve gathered […] Read more
Hail hits crops at more than 1,600 farms across Prairies
More than 1,600 Prairie farms were hit by hail between July 29 and August 11, with the heaviest damage in Alberta, according to the Canadian Crop Hail Association (CCHC).
Saskatchewan harvest underway amid hot and dry weather
Pasture conditions in much of Saskatchewan were diminishing due to the hot and dry conditions. While sporadic rainfall in north and east parts of the province will benefit later seeded crops as they mature, but came too late for early seeded crops.
Cereals withstood storms better: CCHA
Approximately 1,000 crop damage claims made from storms between June 23 and July 1
“Numerous early season storms have resulted in a number of claims for the industry,” CCHA Chairman Scott McQueen of Palliser Insurance said in a statement. “Cereals have generally fared better as many were hit in the grassy stages of development and minimal damage to the plant was caused with environmental conditions being favourable so that crops that were hit by hail are able to recover.”
The ground squirrel survey says…
Saskatchewan has surveyed farmers to get a new read on Richardson’s ground squirrel populations and on-farm damage
Richardson’s ground squirrel damage has frustrated Saskatchewan farmers for years. Saskatchewan’s Ministry of Agriculture recently conducted a survey of farmers to better understand where Richardson’s ground squirrels are present, the methods producers use to deal with them, and which approaches are most effective. The online survey was conducted this past December and January. A total […] Read more
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