AAFC’s Drought Monitor map as of May 31, 2023.

Drought expands across Canadian Prairies

Dry conditions push eastward in Manitoba

MarketsFarm — Warm and dry conditions across much of the Prairies in May caused drought conditions to worsen, especially in Alberta, according to the latest Drought Monitor report from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. As of May 31, an estimated 79 per cent of the Prairie region was classified as abnormally dry (D0) or in moderate

One of Eric McLean’s soybean fields, near Oak River. The 16-inch culvert fell behind after torrential rain, he said,

Southwest storm shreds crops, trees

“It’s just a mess”: high winds, hail flatten fields, smash windows and siding

Farmers near Oak River and Rivers are surveying the damage after a storm pummeled fields and yards with hail, wind and torrential rain. “It’s like the trees got shredded,” said Reeve Bob Christie of the RM of Oakview. The storm cut a swath between Rivers and Oak River, just northwest of Brandon early Wednesday evening.



A climate change activist plays a violin in New York City’s Times Square as Manhattan is shrouded in haze and smoke which drifted south from wildfires in Canada, on June 7, 2023. (Photo: Reuters/Maye-E Wong)

International help rolls in to fight unyielding Canadian wildfires

Almost 80 of Quebec's fires currently out of control

Ottawa | Reuters — Allies around the world are promising to boost support for Canada’s fight against hundreds of blazes amid the country’s worst-ever start to wildfire season, which is fueling concerns about the worsening consequences of climate change. Forest fires continued to burn across Canada on Thursday, forcing thousands of people from their homes


File photo of northern Alberta farmland. (Wonganan/iStock/Getty Images)

Survey to look at farm stress from Alberta angle

Study to explore farmers' levels of resilience against stress

Researchers from the University of Alberta and AgKnow, the province’s farmer mental health network, are looking to build up Alberta-specific data on farming stress, mental health and well-being, and the ways in which farmers cope. They study team is “looking for farmers, ranchers, or anyone who works or lives on a farm” to participate, researchers

The race against the clock this time of year can increase risk.

Safety risks lurk in rush to seed

It only takes a few seconds for things to go disastrously wrong

A few things usually herald the busiest seasons for Canadian farmers: Equipment starts to move on highways, producers rack up more hours in the cab and every farm safety organization in the country reminds farmers to keep safety in mind during the race to plant. In Manitoba, Keystone Agricultural Producers is no exception. Spring safety


Wildlife conservation officers Devon Wadden and Tim Locke keep an eye on sheep while SPCA officers feed a flock during wildfire evacuations in Shelburne County, N.S. on June 3, 2023. (Photo: Communications Nova Scotia/Handout via Reuters)

Canada on track for worst-ever wildfire season

Unusual to see fires nationwide at one time

Ottawa | Reuters — Canada is on track for its worst-ever year of wildfire destruction as warm and dry conditions are forecast to persist through to the end of the summer after an unprecedented start to the fire season, officials said on Monday. Blazes are burning in nearly all Canadian provinces and territories, and federal

Aerial view of a wildfire about 20 km north of Valhalla Centre in northwestern Alberta on June 4, 2023. (Alberta Wildfire photo)

Prairie Forecast Update: Forecast pretty much on track

Update issued June 4, covering June 4-7, 2023

The heat and humidity moved into a large portion of the Canadian Prairies late last week and over the weekend as the previous general forecast played out pretty close to what the weather models predicted. There is not much change in the forecast for the next three days. The heat and humidity will continue across


Photo: Drbouz/istock/getty images

Don’t forget about heat safety

Having that water bottle on hand might not be a terrible idea on days where the humidex rises

Summer temperatures have been a long time coming, but now that they’re here, provincial health officials are reminding Manitobans to keep the risks of too much heat in mind. The warning is particularly relevant for farmers who work long hours outside. “High temperatures and humidity levels early in the summer may have a greater health