With the growing season drawing to a close, the accumulated precipitation maps tell an amazing tale. Since April 1, there has been a record high amount of precipitation over about 40 per cent of the Saskatchewan grain belt. This record spills over into the east central region of Alberta and some northern parts of the Manitoba grain belt, but the majority of the record high area is in Saskatchewan. According to the maps published by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, the entire Saskatchewan grain belt has had above normal growing season precip. In the Prairies as a whole, the only area below normal is the Peace River region of Alberta. In fact, most of the Prairies have exceeded normal growing season precipitation by more than 120 mm, which is nearly five inches. The rainfall totals are incredible. Most parts of Saskatchewan and Manitoba have received over 400 mm. That’s over 16 inches. Many areas are over 18 inches and some are over 20. The traditionally dry regions are happy about the recharge of ground and surface water. Areas that often suffer from too much rain are wondering when their sloughs and lakes will ever recede. To view precipitation maps, just Google “Drought Watch” and go to the current maps of the Prairie region. I’m Kevin Hursh.
DynAgra, an independent Western Canada-based Company, is dedicated to providing growers with the tools to manage the risk and maximize the profitability of their farm business through the continued innovation of agricultural products and services. We are committed to developing and providing growers with the latest in precision agronomics, variable rate technology, soil fertility, crop protection, fertilizers, custom application and financial solutions.
Tags: accumulated precipitation, agricultural products, agricultural services, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Alberta, crop protection, custom application, Dynagra, fertilizers, financial solutions, grain belt, Manitoba, precision agronomics, rainfall, Saskatchewan, soil fertility, Variable Rate Technology
Adult diamondback moths have already been found in pheromone-baited traps in several areas of Manitoba and Alberta. This does indicate an early arrival of the moths. Scott Meers, insect management specialist with Alberta Agriculture, says the early arrival means we’ll probably have issues as the season progresses. Listen to his interview at Alberta Agriculture’s website. Be prepared to watch closely later in the season when the next generation of larvae emerge and start feeding.
DynAgra, an independent Western Canada-based Company, is dedicated to providing growers with the tools to manage the risk and maximize the profitability of their farm business through the continued innovation of agricultural products and services. We are committed to developing and providing growers with the latest in precision agronomics, variable rate technology, soil fertility, crop protection, fertilizers, custom application and financial solutions.
Tags: Alberta, Alberta Agriculture, crop protection, custom application, Diamondback Moths, Dynagra, fertilizers, financial solutions, Manitoba, precision agronomics, soil fertility, Variable Rate Technology
Farm Credit Canada has come out with its latest farmland values report. In the second half of 2009, Saskatchewan farmland increased in value by an estimated 3.4 per cent. For the entire year, the increase was 6.8 per cent. This actually represents a slower rate of increase than in the previous couple years. In 2008, Saskatchewan farmland shot up by over 14 per cent, while the increase in 2007 was nearly 11 per cent. Over the past three years, the annual rate of increase has been over 10 per cent – much better than a lot of investments. The land market was hot in Manitoba in 2009, while it was comparatively cool in Alberta. However, it you look at the past three years, all three provinces have had similar increases – in excess of 10 per cent a year. Farmland has always been less expensive in Saskatchewan than in the neighbouring provinces. Observers say that makes Saskatchewan dirt a better investment since it has more upside potential. Looking at the numbers for the last three years, that isn’t what you see. Saskatchewan has kept pace on a percentage basis, but with less expensive land to start with, the price gap has actually widened. I’m Kevin Hursh.
Tags: Alberta, Farm Credit Canada, farmland, investments, Manitoba, price gap, Saskatchewan
There sure isn’t much snow cover anywhere in Saskatchewan. Since the middle of November, except for a few minor exceptions, precipitation has been well below normal. An area along the Alberta border west of Maple Creek is about normal and there’s a spot south of Melville that show up as about normal, but everywhere else has been dry. In fact, most of the Saskatchewan grain belt has had less than 40 per cent of normal precipitation over the past month and that means very little snow on the ground. We’ve certainly had some cold weather and that increases cattle feeding requirements, but the limited snow cover has been good for grazing cattle on stockpiled forages. The precipitation maps show almost the entire agricultural area of Manitoba is also at less than 40 percent of normal precip for the past month. Alberta shows a different picture. East central Alberta has been dry and so has the Peace River region. The rest of Alberta has had normal to above normal precip, which means substantially more snow than any where else on the Prairies. I’m Kevin Hursh.
Tags: Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, snow cover
The Beef Information Centre has published a brief fact sheet on the industry. As of January of this year, 40 per cent of the country’s beef cow herd was located in Alberta, with 30 per cent in Saskatchewan. The next biggest province for beef cows was Manitoba at 12 per cent. Ontario had seven per cent. B.C. and Quebec were tied with 5 per cent of the national herd and only one per cent of the country’s beef cows were in the Atlantic Provinces. Looking at where the fed cattle come from, the dominance of Alberta’s feedlot sector becomes obvious. Over 65 per cent of the fed cattle come out of Alberta, with Ontario at over 21 per cent. Saskatchewan, Manitoba and B.C. combined account for just under nine per cent of the total fed cattle. In 2008, Canada exported 1.8 billion pounds of beef and cattle, while we imported 383 million pounds. On a net basis, subtracting out the imports, Canada exported 37 per cent of its beef and cattle production in 2008. Beef consumption by Canadians was down to 47.2 pounds per person last year, a drop of 4.4 per cent from the previous year. When you look at the numbers, the importance of the export market becomes clear. I’m Kevin Hursh.
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Kevin Hursh PAg CAC
Tags: Alberta, cattle, export markets
Not all young farmers are home grown. Just look at this year’s nominees for Saskatchewan’s Outstanding Young Farmers program. Two of the three nominees are imports. The home grown nominee is Ryan and Jennifer Wilfing who run Wilfing Farms Ltd. of Meadow Lake. Ryan grew up on the family farm that his grandfather homesteaded. Today Ryan and his wife Jennifer are pedigreed seed growers with their own seed cleaning plant. Another nominee is Art and Elaine Pruim. They moved to Saskatchewan from B.C. in 1998, buying land near Osler to establish a dairy operation. By continually increasing their quota and cows, the Pruims now have a 400 head dairy. The third nominee for Saskatchewan OYF is also an import. Frank Groeneweg grew up on a grain farm in central France and went to work on an Iowa farm at age 19. In Iowa, Frank met his wife Kari, who was from Alberta. Seeking opportunity, they bought land near Edgeley, Saskatchewan and have established a large grain farm. This year’s nominees to Saskatchewan OYF show that Saskatchewan is a land of opportunity for farmers that have grown up here as well as for producers from other provinces and countries. I’m Kevin Hursh.
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Kevin Hursh, PAg, CAC
Tags: Alberta, nominees, OYF, Saskatchewan, young farmers
Cowboy politics in Alberta is going to have an impact on cattle producers across the country. The $3 per head cattle check off in Alberta has long gone to an organization called Alberta Beef Producers. The $3 is deducted every time an animal changes hands. ABP and Alberta Agriculture Minister George Groeneveld haven’t been on good terms in recent times. Groeneveld, with considerable government money, has set up the Alberta Livestock and Meat Agency, forging a strategy without consultations with ABP. Now Groeneveld is planning to introduce legislation that will make the cattle check off refundable. Alberta is home to many massive feedlots. For them, the check off adds up to a lot of money. Most observers expect a significant percentage of the check off dollars will be lost. At its recent meeting in Edmonton, ABP delegates examined budgetary cuts and financial restructuring in preparation for the change. The expected loss in revenue goes beyond ABP. The money also goes to fund marketing organizations like the Beef Information Centre, which promotes beef domestically and the Canada Beef Export Federation, which works to get Canadian beef into foreign markets. Watch for these organizations to have their funding reduced as a result of the policy change in Alberta. I’m Kevin Hursh.
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Kevin Hursh, PAg, CAC
Tags: ABP, Alberta, beef, check offs, marketing
