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Cereals withstood storms better: CCHA

Approximately 1,000 crop damage claims made from storms between June 23 and July 1

“Numerous early season storms have resulted in a number of claims for the industry,” CCHA Chairman Scott McQueen of Palliser Insurance said in a statement. “Cereals have generally fared better as many were hit in the grassy stages of development and minimal damage to the plant was caused with environmental conditions being favourable so that crops that were hit by hail are able to recover.”



Grey skies over the Alberta landscape, July 2023. (Geralyn Wichers photo)

Alberta Crop Report: Variable weather fails to dispel crop growth

Crop conditions across the province were rated at 72.9 per cent good to excellent, better than the five-year average of 68.8 per cent and the 10-year average of 70.2 per cent. The central region had the best rating at 78.2 per cent, followed by the Peace region at 75.7 per cent and the south region at 73.9 per cent, all above both historical averages. The northeast region was at 70 per cent, below its averages, while the northwest was in line with its average at 61.8 per cent.

Pea plants emerge in between stubble in a field. Dry peas are leading the way in emergence in Alberta at more than 96 per cent.  Photo: File

Seeding in Alberta nearly complete, with strong emergence

Spring planting in Alberta was virtually complete according to the province’s latest crop report. As of June 11, seeding in Alberta was a smidge under 100 per cent complete provincewide and on par with the five-year average. The Peace River Region ranked 100 per cent complete for its major crops, while the south, central, northeast […] Read more


Photo: Jeannette Greaves/File

Saskatchewan spring planting virtually complete

At 98 per cent complete, spring planting in Saskatchewan has essentially wrapped up for 2024, although for rain has delayed farmers’ last rounds in the northeast and east-central regions of the province. For the week ended June 10, it was the northeast that received the most precipitation in Saskatchewan. The province’s latest crop report noted […] Read more

Ergot is best recognized in the field as black or dark purple sclerotia sticking out of a floret.

How the problem of ergot in cereals was solved in Alberta

In the story of ergot in wheat, barley and oats, the answer was simply ‘copper’

Glacier FarmMedia – When I was first hired by Alberta Agriculture as a diagnostic plant pathologist, I was told I would be primarily responsible for barley, oat, wheat and canola diseases. I was also asked to head up the provincial control program for bacterial ring rot of potato. The bacterial ring rot program, run in […] Read more