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A centre-pivot system at work near Cowley, Alta., about 40 km east of Crowsnest Pass. Snowpack in mid-February was estimated at 50-75 per cent of normal at monitoring sites in southern Alberta's Rocky Mountains.
Columns, Crops, Weather

Managing irrigation with limited water

Some irrigation districts are advising users to brace for limits on available water

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There is increasing concern with below-normal mountain snowpack and potential for limited irrigation water availability in 2024. Snowpack in mid-February was about 50 to 75 per cent of normal at most of the snow pillow monitoring sites in the Rocky Mountains of northern Montana and southern Alberta (visit the Alberta River Basins web page, then […] Read more
Photo: Thinkstock
Crops, Fruit/Vegetables, Potatoes

Canadian potato output rises in 2023 

Alberta vaults to first place in provincial potato production

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At 32.063 million hundredweight of potatoes this year, Alberta vaulted from third to first place as it improved on the previous year’s crop of 26.813 million. Manitoba moved into second spot from third with its harvest of 29.760 million cwt. following last year’s 26.139 million. Prince Edward Island saw its output reduced in 2023 to 25.813 million cwt. from 27.789 million. In 2023, the trio combined for 68 per cent of Canada’s total potato harvest of 128,801 million cwt. 
Bacterial leaf streak has an impact on late-stage crops but can appear in the three- to five-leaf stage.
Cereals Guide 2023, Cereals Production Guide

Irrigators warned to watch for bacterial outbreaks in cereals

Bacterial leaf streak is already an issue for Alberta and the U.S. Plains

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Saskatchewan irrigators can consider themselves warned: look out for bacterial leaf streak. Gursahib Singh, research director of the Irrigation Crop Diversification Corp. (ICDC), presented to 200 members of the irrigation industry at the Irrigation Saskatchewan conference on Dec. 5 in Saskatoon. Bacterial leaf streak is so far not a problem in Saskatchewan, but has been […] Read more
File photo of a potato field in Alberta’s Lacombe County. (COrthner/iStock/Getty Images)
Crops, Potatoes

Alberta potatoes chip in $2.9 billion for Canadian economy

New report verifies what many in industry suspected

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Alberta’s potato industry is making a big impact — not just on that province but the entire country. A new report — dubbed a “landmark study” by the Potato Growers of Alberta — revealed the sector drove a total contribution of $2.87 billion to Canada’s economy in 2022. It also notes the nationwide creation of […] Read more
RJ Sigurdson, MLA for Highwood, is sworn in on June 9, 2023 as Alberta’s minister of agriculture and irrigation. (Government of Alberta video screengrab via YouTube)
Livestock

Calgary-area MLA named Alberta’s new ag minister

RJ Sigurdson to handle ag file, Horner moves to finance

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The Alberta government’s caucus lead on emergency medical services (EMS) reform has been promoted to handle the agriculture file in a post-election cabinet shuffle. RJ Sigurdson, MLA for the constituency of Highwood, just south of Calgary, was sworn in Friday by Lt.-Gov. Salma Lakhani as Alberta’s new minister of agriculture and irrigation, replacing Nate Horner. […] Read more
For irrigation farmers, two critical terms to understand are allowable depletion and readily available water. Allowable depletion is the amount of water that can be removed from soil without affecting crop yield or inducing crop water stress. The water between field capacity and allowable depletion is referred to as readily available water.
Columns, Crops

How to manage and schedule irrigation, Part 1

Here’s how to prevent water-induced stress on your crops

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Two costly mistakes irrigation farmers can make are not starting to irrigate soon enough in spring and not applying enough water to keep up with crop water demands during the growing season. Good irrigation water management simply involves determining the correct amount of irrigation water to apply at the right times. The goal of irrigation […] Read more
For most farmers, the simplest, easiest and cheapest way to measure soil moisture is using the hand-feel method.
Columns, Crops

How to understand and measure soil water

It’s important to estimate stored soil moisture at planting to adjust crop inputs

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Water is often the most crucial factor in controlling crop yields. The amount of water used by crops can be affected by several factors including the availability of stored soil water, amount of precipitation during the growing season, crop rooting depth and various environmental aspects such as day length, amount of solar radiation, humidity, temperature […] Read more
McCain Foods’ french fry processing plant near Coaldale, Alta. (University of Lethbridge video screengrab via YouTube)
Crops, Potatoes

McCain to double Alberta french fry plant capacity

Lethbridge-area plant to more than double staff count

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Alberta’s plans to boost its irrigated acres are being met near the starting line with a major french fry producer’s plans to double the capacity of its plant there. McCain Foods announced Monday it will put up $600 million to build two new production lines for frozen french fries and potato specialty goods at its […] Read more
The benefits of irrigation in Alberta
Columns, Crops

The benefits of irrigation in Alberta

Irrigation plays a significant role in increasing crop and livestock production

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Irrigation is often referred to as the “lifeblood” of southern Alberta. Irrigation water was first diverted from the St. Mary River in 1900 and arrived by canal system to Magrath, Raymond and Lethbridge. Now, 122 years later, just over 1.8 million acres are irrigated in Alberta. Irrigated agriculture contributes about $6.5 billion to Alberta’s GDP […] Read more

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