moisture Archives - Page 2 of 4

Forecaster Drew Lerner speaks at Ag Days 2020 in Brandon. (Manitoba Co-operator photo by Alexis Stockford)

Variable Prairie weather makes for uncertain spring ahead

If nothing else, a rainy harvest season helped replenish topsoil moisture

By GFM Network News January 22, 2020

MarketsFarm — Late-season rains wreaked havoc on the 2019 harvest season but were helpful in restoring topsoil moisture to key growing regions in the Prairies. Since snow coverage has been variable across the Prairies so far in 2020, however, the growing season may get off to a rocky start. “If we take a look at […] Read more

File photo of a sunflower crop in Manitoba. (MysticEnergy/Getty Images)

Crops, Markets, Weather

Sunflowers doing well despite drought

By GFM Network News June 5, 2019

MarketsFarm — Though many producers bemoan current drier-than-normal springtime conditions across the Prairies, sunflower crops are primed for a good year. “As long as there’s enough moisture to germinate, they immediately grow a really deep root system,” said Ben Friesen of Scoular Canada. While Statistics Canada estimated the 2019 sunflower acreage to remain pretty much […] Read more

Vegetation growth index for the Prairie provinces compared to average as of May 26. (CCAP)

Crops, Weather

Canadian crop development behind average

By MarketsFarm Team, GFM Network News June 4, 2019

MarketsFarm — Crop development is running behind average across much of Canada, with excessive moisture delaying seeding in Ontario and dryness slowing crop development across the Prairies. That’s according to the latest satellite data from the federal Crop Condition Assessment Program (CCAP), created in partnership between Statistics Canada and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. Crop development […] Read more

Precipitation percentiles on the Prairies for the period of April 1 to May 23, 2019. (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Drought Watch)

Crops, Pasture, Weather

Prairie dryness concerns to persist

By GFM Network News May 24, 2019

MarketsFarm — Large areas of Western Canada remain on the dry side, with little moisture in the immediate forecasts. And while it’s still early in the growing season, the interplay of conflicting patterns from the south and north will determine whether the dry areas receive timely precipitation during the growing season. “We are looking at […] Read more

File photo of rice growing near Pune in Maharashtra, western India. (ePhotocorp/iStock/Getty Images)

Crops, Markets, Pulses, Weather

Near-normal monsoon expected in India

By MarketsFarm Team, GFM Network News April 16, 2019

MarketsFarm — Monsoon rains in India are expected to be near normal in 2019, according to the first long-range forecast of the year from the India Meteorological Department. The southwest monsoon typically runs from June through September. It provides crucial moisture for the country’s agriculture sector, as it accounts for roughly 70 per cent of […] Read more

Emerging corn plants in Canada. (Sophie-Caron/iStock/Getty Images)

Corn, Crops, Weather

Feed weekly outlook: Corn acreage predicted to be flat

By GFM Network News April 4, 2019

MarketsFarm — Experts predict corn acreage will be flat in Western Canada in 2019. While flooding remains a concern to many this spring, years of dry summers have impacted soil conditions to the point where a wet spring may be a welcome reprieve. “I’m more concerned about how much moisture we will have gained because […] Read more

Corn, Crops, Weather

Saskatchewan offers up corn rainfall insurance plan

By GFM Network News March 10, 2019

Saskatchewan’s crop insurance offerings for 2019 will include a new program allowing corn growers to insure against a substantial drop in moisture. The provincial and federal government on Feb. 26 rolled out Saskatchewan’s 2019 crop insurance program, in which coverage levels on average are to reach a record $230 per acre, up from $216 last […] Read more

Grain bins in a Saskatchewan field. (MysticEnergy/iStock/Getty Images)

Cereals, Crops, Markets, Weather

Feed weekly outlook: Grains flood Alberta market

By GFM Network News October 18, 2018

CNS Canada — Feed grain prices in Alberta have come down as producers have rushed to sell downgraded crops. “Last week the phones were blowing up… right now I think we’re seeing some better weather, so everyone’s outside and the phones are probably going to light up again next week,” said Nelson Neumann, grain trader […] Read more

Crops, Weather

Prairie harvest window possible next week

By GFM Network News September 13, 2018

CNS Canada — Cold and wet conditions on the Prairies are expected to clear up over the next week, allowing a window of opportunity for harvest, though the size of that window remains to be seen. “Western and northern parts of Alberta have some serious issues,” said Drew Lerner of World Weather Inc. in Kansas […] Read more

Crops, Soybeans, Weather

Manitoba soy growers likely face light yields

By GFM Network News August 23, 2018

CNS Canada — Manitoba soybeans will be ready for harvest well ahead of normal, provincial pulse crop specialist Dennis Lange said, fresh from fields where he was conducting maturity ratings. He said he was out around Morris on Tuesday and some soybean varieties there are already nearing full maturity. Throughout Manitoba, farmers could be taking […] Read more

U.S. grains: Corn rebounds from contract lows on short covering, bargain buying

U.S. livestock: Cattle futures come down from highs

Entomologist tests trap crops and marigolds to repel flea beetles at an Ag in Motion

GFM Network News