
New Canadian Cattle Young Leaders, regional TESA winners announced
NewsMakers from the June 2023 issue of Canadian Cattlemen
Heath Ferguson grew up in a small town just outside Edmonton, Alta. Growing up, his family had a small herd of Simmental/Saler-cross cows and he raised a few bottle calves every year with his brothers. In high school, he was in 4-H, Green Certificate and worked at the local packing plant, as well as helping […] Read more

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 […] Read more

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 […] Read more

Essentials for profitable ranching: Part one
What makes a profitable ranch? Burke Teichert introduces his five ‘essentials’ and unpacks the first two
Since the end of World War Two, we have been developing a ranching and farming culture more dependent on fossil fuel, iron, synthetic fertilizers and chemicals. Early on those inputs (tractors, vehicles, equipment, seed, fertilizer, pesticides, herbicides, etc.) were relatively inexpensive. During the last 60 years, those input prices have increased more rapidly than the […] Read more

NEW FEATURE: Prairie Forecast: Summer has definitely moved in
Forecast issued May 31, 2023, covering May 31 to June 7, 2023
As we move into the official start of meteorological summer, it is looking like we have left spring behind and summer is here to stay. While this is great for those of us who like heat, humidity and thunderstorms, it can make it difficult to create an accurate forecast. The large areas of low pressure […] Read more

A hot, dry Prairie June ahead
El Nino pattern could arrive
MarketsFarm — June is expected to see a continuation of the hot and dry weather most of the Canadian Prairies has experienced in May, according to Scott Kehler, chief scientist for Weatherlogics. “It looks like late spring/early summer is pretty hot across almost all of Western Canada. The Prairies are all above normal [temperature-wise],” Kehler […] Read more

Alberta ag minister, ag critic hang onto seats in election
Governing UCP retains smaller majority
Alberta’s incumbent agriculture minister and official opposition ag critic both appear set to return to the legislature as Premier Danielle Smith’s United Conservatives (UCP) are expected to form a majority government. At about 1 a.m. Alberta time on Tuesday, Smith’s UCP was elected or leading in 49 of 87 constituencies; all remaining 38 went to […] Read more

Prairie Forecast Update: A few small tweaks
Forecast issued May 28, covering the period from May 29 to 31
The weather regime across southern and central Canada is currently being dominated by a large sprawling surface high over eastern regions with a slowly digging trough of low pressure over the West Coast. The flows around these two features have been producing warm summer-like conditions across the eastern Prairies with slightly cooler conditions as you […] Read more

Pre-election reports analyze Alberta’s ag issues
Three reports focus on party histories, ag sector concerns, current platforms
Alberta farmers’ concerns with provincial policy, and the two major parties’ stances on those concerns, are the subjects of a three-part analysis leading up to a provincial election on Monday. The Simpson Centre for Food and Agricultural Policy, a think tank operating out of the University of Calgary’s School of Public Policy, says its three […] Read more

NEW FEATURE: Prairie Forecast: Summerlike conditions moving in
Forecast issued May 24, 2023, covering May 24-31, 2023
As we head into the final week of May, it is looking to be very summerlike across much of the Prairies. Currently there is a strong area of cool high pressure centred over the Great Lakes. This area of high pressure is what brought cool and windy conditions to the eastern Prairies on Wednesday. As […] Read more