Photo: Lisa Marie/iStock/Getty Images

Prairie forecast: Typical spring weather expected; not dry, not wet

Forecast issued April 24, 2024; covering: April 24 – May 1

It looks like this will be a good news, bad news forecast. For those of you hoping for rain, it may be good news. For those wanting things to dry out enough to get out working, it's a bit of bad news. The one thing, which is typical for spring forecasts, is that there's a fair bit of uncertainty.


Sudden shifts from springlike temperatures to bone-chilling cold this winter called for a check on your stored grain, Anne Kirk says.

Avoid grain spoilage when temperatures get wild

Consider your bins when the weather swings from extreme cold to unseasonably warm

Glacier FarmMedia — With unusually high temperatures interrupted by two deep freezes, it’s been a challenging winter for grain storage on the Prairies, requiring diligence to protect stored crop. Anne Kirk, cereal crop specialist with Manitoba Agriculture, advises aeration and vigilant monitoring of bin moisture and temperature. The latter is particularly important when outside temperatures […] Read more

Some winterkill in winter wheat doesn’t necessarily mean the surviving crop is unsaleable

Conditions ripe for winter cereal wreck

Snow cover decline, temperature flux, pooling, freezing all potential problems

Glacier FarmMedia — Minimal snow cover, frigid temperatures in mid-January and above-average temperatures after that may have set the stage for winterkill in winter crops. The risk is high enough to cause concern among crop specialists. “The eastern Prairies are in a little bit better shape than (Saskatchewan and Alberta) but there’s huge swaths that […] Read more





A photo developed from old film stock looks over the village of Waldeck, about 20 km northeast of Swift Current, in 1976.

A climate update for our neck of the woods

You'll want to keep your long underwear handy for the next several winters

I have been tinkering with climate data for about the past 15 years. Thanks to the folks at the Swift Current, Sask. federal ag research station, I now have complete monthly temperature and precipitation data from 1886 to 2023. That adds five years to my last summary, so we will now do the update. Weather […] Read more



A study shows that in terms of response to moisture-related stress, the crop type is more important than the specific variety.

Curb risk from moisture stress for less

A Manitoba agronomist offers up some tips for farmers on a budget

With swings between wet and dry extremes in recent years, Prairie farmers have seen more water stress problems in their fields. Not only do they make crops less productive, but they can also crank up the stress levels for farmers. “Historically, our two main risks in crop production long term have been excess moisture and […] Read more

Photo: Faye Fossay/iPhoto/Getty Images

Prairie forecast: Cooler and unsettled west, mild and dry east

Forecast issued April 3, covering April 3 to 10

In a nutshell, it looks like Saskatchewan and Manitoba will see dry weather and nice, warm, spring temperatures. Alberta is going to have to deal with colder air being drawn southwards into the developing storm system over the south-central U.S. Along with the colder air, southern Alberta may deal with some more snow as moisture is pulled northward and then westward on the eastern side of the low.


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