As winter bites the scope of the feed shortage — and the size of the cull — is coming into focus.

Livestock feed crisis kicks off

Farmers are getting a sense of exactly how much trouble they’re in now that the winter is closing in

The province hopes to revamp forage insurance, but an update to future insurance will not help producers face down their current crisis, Manitoba Agriculture and Resource Development Minister Blaine Pedersen acknowledged. Feed trucks have become a common sight as producers scramble to overwinter cattle, Ste. Rose du Lac Mayor Robert Brunel said. Brunel says it

Will our cool fall shape up into a cold winter?

Will our cool fall shape up into a cold winter?

Will the cool and moist trend continue on into the early winter?

First off, I have to apologize for missing last week. No excuses, I simply screwed up and missed my deadline. So, for this week’s article, I am going to do my best to combine the key parts of last week’s article with the new stuff from this week. Since it is the end of the


If it is a food supply issue — maybe brought on by a dry summer, for example — the geese may leave early, but that would not be linked to a possible harsh winter.

Is nature predicting a harsh winter?

Plants and animals are reacting to near-term weather

Over years of writing weather-related articles, the one topic on which I probably get the most emails is weather folklore. I have touched on this topic now and then, and did a fairly in-depth look at some of it last year. As I’m still in the process of gathering information to finish up our look

A submerged bridge over the Red River in 2011. (IanChrisGraham/iStock/Getty Images)

Manitoba farmers unfazed by flood reports

MarketsFarm — As experts forecast a spring flood to hit southern Manitoba, farmers in the Red River Valley won’t be caught off guard. Manitoba’s Emergency Measures Organization held flood preparedness seminars in Morris, Brandon, and Selkirk throughout the week of March 11. Topics covered included the forecast, flood outlook, preparedness and response and disaster financial


(WPohlDesign/iStock/Getty Images)

Feed weekly outlook: Markets steady amid cold Alberta weather

Excessively cold temperatures in Alberta may be causing headaches for both feed grain buyers and sellers, but prices remain relatively steady for what’s moving. The cold weather hasn’t really led to a significant increase in demand, but “it’s definitely made the farmer grumpy,” said Brandon Motz of CorNine Commodities in Lacombe, Alta. “In general, the

Editorial: Weathering winter

It’s always amusing when places that don’t usually expect it get a taste of what to us is a typical winter. That was fully evident earlier this month when large swaths of the U.S. were hit hard by cold. Suddenly U.S. schools and universities were closed and private businesses, including many in agriculture, were calling


Livestock producers are midway through their winter feeding season after months of concern over their forage and feed supplies.

Livestock producers give overall mild winter a warm welcome

There’s still plenty of winter left though, so the sector remains on alert on feed supplies

Manitoba may have hit a cold snap, but provincial livestock specialists say the otherwise mild winter has been a boon for feed supplies so far. Feed was a major concern for the livestock industry this fall. Forage yields were down across much of the province, including parts of the Interlake, central and southwestern Manitoba that

Forecast: A couple of weeks of cold weather ahead

Issued January 21, 2018: Covering the period from January 23 to January 30

As forecast, cold and sunny conditions moved in last week and, as predicted, the coldest weather occurred over the weekend, with many locations across southern and central Manitoba seeing overnight lows in the -35 to -40 C range — temperatures not seen since the winter of 2014, all thanks to the infamous polar vortex. It


Forecast: Solid week of cold weather ahead

Issued January 14, 2018: Covering the period from January 16 to January 23

The first part of last week’s forecast played out pretty much as expected, but things fell apart a little bit toward the end of the forecast period. The expected ridge of high pressure did build to our west, and we did see mild air move in over the weekend, just not to the initial extent

Forecast: Warm mid-winter weather ahead

Issued January 7, 2018: Covering the period from January 10 to January 17

After a snowy start to this week it looks like our old pattern of dry and seasonable weather will move back in for the remainder of this forecast period. It’s always tough to create a forecast when a major weather event is unfolding (I must write the forecasts late Sunday or early Monday morning), as