File photo of autumn colours around Lake Diefenbaker in Saskatchewan Landing Provincial Park. (Nancy Anderson/iStock/Getty Images)

Prairie Forecast: Summer tries to hang on

Issued Sept. 27, covering Sept. 27 to Oct. 4

For being this far into fall, the weather models have been surprisingly accurate. Heck, I didn’t even need to send an update for the last issue! Not sure if I can be as optimistic for this forecast period, as we are moving deeper into fall and starting to see the first hints of winter trying

File photo of young birds on a Canadian broiler operation. (Elena Bionysheva-Abramova/iStock/Getty Images)

High-path avian flu pops back up in Saskatchewan, Alberta

Canada keeps sights on 'country-level freedom' from virus

Even after 21 months of highly pathogenic avian influenza cases in Canada — including three new cases in domestic birds so far this month — Canada’s “stamping out” policy for the virus remains in effect. Canada’s active caseload of the virus now comes down to just eight of the 325 premises affected since December 2021.


An initial swath in a canola crop north of St. Adolphe, Man. on Sept. 17, 2023. (Dave Bedard photo)

Prairie Forecast: Warm fall weather to continue

Issued Sept. 20, covering Sept. 20-27

Even with some uncertainty in the last forecast, the weather models did a surprisingly good job. At one point it looked like I was going to have to send out an update as the models started trending toward a cooler pattern, but they quickly reversed back to a warm pattern. This brought the expected heat

(Dave Bedard photo)

Flax production lowest since 1967, StatCan predicts

Returns on effort invested 'not attractive right now'

MarketsFarm — After going into its least acres seeded since 1950, the 2023-24 Canadian flax crop is projected to be at its smallest in decades. Statistics Canada (StatCan) reported in its principal field crop estimates on Thursday that 267,900 tonnes of flaxseed are expected to be produced in this year’s harvest. The total not only



File photo of a pea crop south of Ethelton, Sask. on Aug. 1, 2019. (Dave Bedard photo)

Pulse weekly outlook: Saskatchewan production, yields ‘slightly lower’

Peas, lentils over 90 per cent harvested

MarketsFarm — Dale Risula, Saskatchewan’s provincial specialist for pulses, forages and specialty crops, said that while this year’s harvest is progressing well, he expects average-at-best pulse production this year. As of Sept. 4, the province’s dry pea harvest was 92 per cent complete, while 91 per cent of the lentil crop was combined. Only 51


File photo of harvesting near Wymark, Sask., south of Swift Current, on Sept. 8, 2020. (Nancy Anderson/iStock/Getty Images)

Feed weekly outlook: Harvest pressure keeps lid on prices

Domestic prices seen weighing on corn imports

MarketsFarm — As the harvest continued across the Canadian Prairies, pressure kept feed grain prices largely in check, according to Crystal Leitch of Market Master Ltd. in Edmonton. “We don’t see things changing too much because pricing is not what it was. There’s some hope that pricing is going to come back up, whether it

Winnipeg, Sept. 7, 2023. (Dave Bedard photo)

Prairie Forecast: Summer trying to hang on

Issued Sept. 6, covering Sept. 6 to 13

The weather models seem to be in good agreement for this forecast period, with no strong storm systems expected to impact the Prairies, making for a fairly high-confidence forecast. This forecast period will start off with a generally west to southwesterly flow across the Prairies. A broad but weak area of low pressure is expected


Global sea surface temperature anomalies in degrees Celsius for the week centred on Aug. 30, 2023. (CPC.ncep.noaa.gov)

Rest of September to be warmer than normal for Prairies

Southern Prairies to remain drier than normal

MarketsFarm — As summer turns to autumn on the Canadian Prairies, the weather outlook for the rest of September is for temperatures to be warmer than normal, according to Scott Kehler, chief scientist for Weatherlogics. One of the factors in those forthcoming temperatures is the El Niño that has been developing over the last several

Durum plants on Aug. 28, 2023 near Acadia Valley, Alta., about 160 km north of Medicine Hat, stand shorter with fewer kernels than normal due to dry conditions. (Photo courtesy Darold Niwa/Handout via Reuters)

Prairie Forecast: Mostly sunny and warm

Issued Aug. 30, covering Aug. 30 to Sept. 6

It’s a straightforward forecast for this period as the general weather pattern looks to be pretty quiet. It starts with a large area of high pressure centred over the Great Lakes with a weak area of low pressure over Alberta. The Great Lakes high will put sunny skies and warm temperatures over much of Manitoba