Weather a mixed blessing for insects

Insect populations overwintering in Western Canada are likely enjoying the warmer-than-normal temperatures seen across the Canadian Prairies this winter, but the lack of snow cover could lead to increased mortality if and when the mercury does drop. Environment Canada forecasts for Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta are calling for unseasonably warm temperatures over the next week,

EU grains vulnerable with no protective snow

(Reuters) –– Bitterly cold weather in Europe is raising concerns over damage to European Union grain plantings, but crops could still come through the cold snap unscathed, analysts said. The problem is that snow is scarce in west Europe’s Grain Belts. In France, a mild winter has soft wheat crops about two to three weeks


Will the wet years be followed by drought in 2012?

Producers can expect drier-than-normal conditions this spring, according to weather outlooks for the next couple of months. “Less-than-normal precipitation across the Canadian Prairies ahead of the winter freeze-up have already left soil conditions on the drier side,” said Drew Lerner, with World Weather Inc. of Kansas City. The absence of significant snowfall and above-average temperatures

Dryness could continue into the summer

The dry conditions that prevailed through the latter half of 2011 may continue on through 2012, says Manitoba Agriculture weather specialist Mike Wroblewski. Speaking at the 27th annual St. Jean Farm Days here last week, Wroblewski said the stage was set for 2011 in 2010, which showed higher-than-normal precipitation. “But once the fall came, wham.


Crops briefs, Jan. 12

Drought dents Brazil crops Sao Paulo/Reuters/ Two important Brazilian corn and soy producers Parana and Rio Grande do Sul made sharp cuts to crop forecasts Jan. 5 after weeks of harsh, dry weather dented prospects for a soy crop that as recently as this week some still expected to be a record. Brazil’s biggest soy

It’s snowman weather!

For many, the arrival of snow is something to dread, perhaps something to escape by going south for the winter. For others, it means an end to the somewhat dreary browns of late fall. Children, particularly, often anticipate and welcome the first few snowfalls. For me, early winter has long been “snowman weather.” As a


Dry winter a worry for cattle, winter wheat

Canada’s western farm belt is the driest it has been in five years, raising concerns for cattle and winter cereals. Large pockets of the Prairie provinces have received less than 40 per cent of normal precipitation during the past three months, according to federal Agriculture Department maps. “We have a lot of winter ahead of

Will we finally see some cold?

Christmas has come and gone, December has come and gone, and 2011 is done, so we have a lot of weather to recap! In this issue we’ll only have room to discuss this December’s weather and then look ahead to see what January’s weather might be like. In the following issue we’ll take a look


Dry winter a worry for cattle, winter wheat

Canada’s western farm belt is the driest it has been in five years, raising concerns for cattle and winter cereals. Large pockets of the Prairie provinces have received less than 40 per cent of normal precipitation during the past three months, according to federal Agriculture Department maps. “We have a lot of winter ahead of

Overall Mild Conditions To Persist

The weather models have really been struggling with the overall pattern over the last week. For the first part of this forecast period, things look fairly quiet. Weak high pressure in place across our region, combined with a large area of low pressure well to our northeast, will bring a mix of sun and clouds