Members of the Third Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry (3PPCLI) take part in wildfire prevention operations near Grande Prairie, Alta. on May 12, 2023. (Photo: MCpl, Cass Moon/Canadian Forces/Handout via Reuters)

Air quality deteriorates as wildfires rage in Western Canada

Evacuations continue in Alberta, B.C., Saskatchewan

Reuters — Calgary received a special weather alert on Tuesday, warning residents of poor air quality and reduced visibility as tinder-dry weather and shifting winds elevated the risk of spreading wildfires in Alberta’s north and west. As of Tuesday evening 89 wildfires are active in Alberta, with 25 out of control, according to the provincial […] Read more

File photo of a cow grazing near Leader, Sask., about 85 km south of Kindersley. (James_Gabbert/iStock/Getty Images)

Saskatchewan holds Crown grazing rents at last year’s levels

Also, leaseholders on drought-downgraded land eligible for rate cut

Cattle producers leasing Crown land for grazing in Saskatchewan won’t see a rate hike this year and may be eligible for a significant rate cut. The provincial government announced Wednesday it has frozen the rates charged to producers who lease Crown grazing land in 2023 at their 2022 level. The freeze will apply to all […] Read more


(File photo)

Manitoba to cut Crown forage lease rates

Previous years' forage conditions a factor, province says

The rents paid by Manitoba producers using Crown lands to produce perennial forages will be cut in half next year and by smaller amounts the following two years. Provincial Ag Minister Derek Johnson on Wednesday announced the forage lease rent on agricultural Crown land will be reduced by 50 per cent in 2023, 33 per […] Read more

(Dave Bedard photo)

Manitoba to open more Crown lands to haying, grazing

Province now taking requests for permits

Manitoba livestock producers up against dry conditions can now apply for temporary passes to get onto Crown land not normally designated for grazing or haying. The province announced Friday it will make such lands available this year for agricultural use “under certain circumstances.” Permits and land uses will be handled through the Agricultural Crown Lands […] Read more


Erik Nottveit, Arvid Nottveit’s son checking cattle at Tribar Ranching Co., located on the northern edge of Lake Manitoba. Changes to Manitoba’s Crown lease program are creating uncertainty for leaseholders.

Crown land changes create uncertainty for Manitoba’s beef producers

New regulations for Manitoba’s Agricultural Crown Lands lease program caught lease-holders off guard, leaving many unsure about the future of their operations

Without his Crown land lease, Arvid Nottveit wouldn’t be able to make a living raising cattle. Nottveit and his family run Tribar Ranching Co., a cow-calf operation at Peonan Point, Man., and they rely on a Crown lease of 9,600 acres. Here on a 25-mile-long peninsula on the northern edge of Lake Manitoba, the family […] Read more

(Dave Bedard photo)

Saskatchewan pares ag spending in estimates

Spending estimates released without revenue forecasts

Saskatchewan expects to pull back its spending on agriculture by about $22.4 million in its 2020-21 budget year, mainly in a reduced outlay on business risk management (BRM) programs. Provincial Finance Minister Donna Harpauer on Wednesday tabled the province’s 2020-21 spending estimates with the “unusual step” of not including revenue forecasts, citing the current COVID-19 […] Read more






Pastures have seen very limited growth due to lack of rain and hot weather.

Livestock producers allowed to cut hay, graze on Manitoba Crown lands

Areas will be temporarily open to assist producers impacted by dry conditions

Livestock producers will temporarily be allowed to cut hay and allow animals to graze on Crown land not normally designated for agricultural use due to dry conditions across parts of the province, Manitoba Agriculture Minister Ralph Eichler announced today. “Pastures and forage crops in parts of Manitoba have been greatly affected by low levels of […] Read more