The report, produced by the Agriculture Financial Services Corporation, noted that planting very likely started in mid-April. The south was furthest along at almost 40 per cent complete, with Peace River about 18 per cent, the central at 14 per cent, the northwest a pinch below four per cent and northeast short of three per cent.

In terms of crops, potatoes were well ahead of all the others at 61 per cent planted. Durum led the cereals at almost 47 per cent, followed by spring wheat at 23 per cent, with barley just short of 19 per cent and oats at five per cent.

The pulses were led by lentils at nearly 39 per cent planted, with dry peas very close behind at 38 per cent, while chickpeas were a distant third at less than 14 per cent.

Among the oilseeds, mustard rated more than 35 per cent in the ground, with flax at less than 19 per cent and canola short of six per cent.

Corn planting was at 32 per cent complete.

In terms of winter crops, the report cited those in the central at 77 per cent good to excellent and the south at 59 per cent. No other regions were listed for winter crops.

Alberta’s surface soil moisture ratings were almost eight per cent poor, over 28 per cent fair, more than 55 per cent good, about eight per cent excellent and less than one per cent excessive.

By region Peace River ranked nearly 53 per cent poor to fair compared to just over 47 per cent good to excellent, while the south was around 40 per cent poor to fair versus nearly 60 per cent good to excellent. The central came in at more than 42 per cent poor to fair compared to almost 58 per cent good to excellent. The northeast was less than 22 per cent poor to fair as opposed to 76 per cent good to excellent. The northwest was over 14 per cent poor to fair versus more than 84 per cent good to excellent.

While there has been less soil erosion due to spring runoff, there has been a little bit more wind erosion.

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Provincial weather stations picked up hints of moisture in southern Alberta yesterday—with about 1 mm registered at Lethbridge and the St. Mary Reservoir.

Blackie, east of High River, got 11 mm yesterday. Claresholm saw more than 9 mm of precipitation. Further north, Leedale and Rocky Mountain House saw between one and two millimeters of moisture.

In Saskatchewan, Yorkton got about 6 mm of precipitation, as per Environment and Natural Resources Canada. Saskatoon got 9 mm, while North Battleford saw just over 2 mm. Regina registered no precipitation yesterday, though at time of writing a light snow shower was reported to be falling.

The heaviest amounts of precipitation were predicted to fall on northern Saskatchewan and Manitoba, said MarketsFarm’s Bruce Burnett in a weather update this morning.

In Manitoba, Winnipeg reported more than 18 mm of precipitation yesterday, Brandon clocked just over 17 mm, and Dauphin saw nearly 23 mm of precipitation, Environment Canada said.

Precipitation over the past week has benefited a limited area of the Prairies, the bulk of which have been drier than normal over the past 30 days.

“The only region reporting a net gain in precipitation was southern Alberta and southwestern Saskatchewan. These areas have reported a net gain of 10 to 25 mm. The rest of the Prairies reported 5 to 25 mm below normal precipitation during the month,” Burnett wrote.

“The current system moving across the Prairies will add more general precipitation which will help improve topsoil moisture conditions.”

While overall soil moisture is extremely dry, topsoil moisture for seeding will be mostly adequate in the next couple weeks, Burnett added.

Yesterday, meteorologist Daniel Bezte forecasted sunny-to-partly-cloudy skies to move into Alberta on Wednesday. Manitoba can expect cloudy skies and occasional flurries into Thursday and Friday before skies finally clear.

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Making a living in this part of the world isn’t easy. Characterized by brown soil zones and often negligible precipitation, the semi-arid steppe reaches from Regina to just east of Calgary. Nestled deep in the centre of the region, on the southeastern border of Alberta, is the Special Areas. Through innovation, land stewardship and resiliency, multi-generational and first-generation operations are making a go of it in this region, and the Williams family is part of that community.

Alberta’s Special Areas comprises five million acres broken into three regions, under one unique municipal government system. The entire area, spanning from present-day Stettler, Alta., south and east to the Saskatchewan border, receives on average about nine inches of annual precipitation, snowfall included, and sees about two to three inches of topsoil.

A tough place to farm

In the early 1900s, following some of Alberta’s most challenging winters, settlers poured into the area with dreams of establishing farming and ranching operations. Over time, as operations grew, the reliance on crop production — particularly wheat — gained traction. Years of early conventional tillage, however, left the delicate and dry ecology in the area at risk. Drought conditions in the late 1920s into the 1930s sent the region into a tailspin. Without the necessary rain for crops to survive, and windstorms stealing precious topsoil, conditions became desolate very quickly.

Unfortunately, with the soil, went the settlers. The population quickly decreased from approximately 30,000 over 216 townships to less than 5,000 in under a decade. The rapid decrease in population was catastrophic for the economic conditions in the area, bankrupting more than 36 once-existing municipalities. At that time, the Alberta government established the Special Areas Act, in hopes of revitalizing and stabilizing the region. From the act, the Alberta Special Areas Board came to be in 1938 to provide public land management and extension to help the few residents who remained survive the challenging conditions.

One of the recommendations to come out of the Special Areas Act that had the biggest effect on the area was the reintroduction of cattle into crop-based agricultural systems. Depleted soils after the severe dust storms of 1931 were begging for more organic matter, and cattle were needed.

Following the Dirty Thirties, it became quite clear that any agricultural pursuits in the area needed to involve cattle to rehabilitate the ecology and stability of what soil remained. The benefits of cattle on the landscapes have been more widely recognized in recent years. However, the Special Areas Board was one of the early adopters and promotors of what now tend to be considered present-day “regenerative” agricultural practices. One of the Special Areas Board’s first recommendations was to convert unviable cropland back to forage so the remaining farmers and ranchers could start to recover from the drought and dust storms. Re-establishing forages protected what little topsoil remained. Root beds and organic matter produced by perennial grass crops would stabilize soil aggregates. Grazing those perennials would also add organic matter, while providing landowners with an income stream.

Today’s Special Areas ranchers

Of the five million acres of the Albertan landscape that the Special Areas Board still oversees today, 2.5 million are public land, including community pasture. Between public and private land, grazing is now a far more significant use of land than it was before 1938.

To this day, the population in the Alberta Special Areas still sits around 5,000 people, many of whom have the resiliency to continue ranching in these challenging conditions. Jesse and Clay Williams, along with their young children Harper and Barrett, are a great example of one of those innovative ranching families. Both grew up on ranches, but neither operation was large enough to support multiple households. The Williams family sought opportunity near where Clay grew up, just outside of Hanna, Alta. After purchasing the beginnings of their ranch, they began building their herd of Simmental and Red Angus-cross cattle while maintaining their jobs in town. Though both come from ranching backgrounds, they find themselves carving out a first-generation operation in the heart of Alberta’s Special Areas.

For the Williams family, regenerative practices are and have been a means of survival for their operation since its inception, rather than a way to improve forage performance.

“Since I’ve been here, I have only seen one good rainfall year,” says Jesse Williams.

Annual rainfall in the area usually hovers around only nine inches. However, at interview time this year, the Williams family had seen more like four inches. Protecting what little rainfall does land on the ground is imperative in their world.

“Two to three inches of soil is the textbook norm around here, but in reality, it’s more like half an inch to zero topsoil in some fields,” she says.

Between low rainfall and minimal topsoil, moisture retention can be a challenge, but the Williams family has found success through creative production practices, including applying strategic winter feeding and shelter systems.

Open-bottom bunks and wind fences for winter feeding and shelter on a poor piece of cropland Jesse and Clay intend to return to forage production in the future have been game changers.

“It’s quite obvious where the bunks and wind fences have been,” says Williams.

Moving the infrastructure weekly throughout the winter allows for a more even spread of manure over the quarter. Where manure is stockpiled, organic matter increases, and along with it, moisture retention improves. The results are visible, according to Williams.

“It means the difference between kochia and crops.”

Increasing the existing soil organic matter has had a profound impact on retaining what little moisture the area receives while protecting and building on existing topsoil.

Outside of their ranching operation, Jesse Williams also has an important role within Special Areas. As an agricultural fieldman, she spends a large amount of time working with producers in the area to maximize production and combat invasive weeds. Her role takes her across the three Special Areas, which gives her a greater insight into the variance that does exist within the region.

“Though we face many of the same challenges, conditions do vary quite a bit, from one end of the areas to the next,” says Jesse. “For example, the further north you go, the number of trees found increases significantly, when compared to the southern regions. Vegetation, moisture and soil type variances pose challenges as the Special Areas Board works to co-operatively manage the three zones.”

However, the collective identity of existing in tough conditions contributes to a strong sense of community. Though conditions in Alberta’s Special Areas chased so many families away in the 1930s, something about the region encourages other people to stay.

“Special Areas are a challenging place to exist,” Williams says, “But I do love it.”

Her role with the municipality allows her to see the colour and life that exists beyond the lonely highways that wind across the map. The landscape is painted with sagebrush and fireweed, and abundant with other wild flora and fauna. And there are the people who stand steadfast on the ground that sustains them.

“I sometimes feel the world forgets about us out here,” she says. “But it’s still an amazing corner of the world.”

Emily Lowe, residing west of Nanton, Alta., is a long-time believer in the beef industry and the Western way of life.

The post Ranching in the Special Areas appeared first on Canadian Cattlemen.

However, going into the 2023-24 crop year, the attaché projected the wheat harvest to slip to 13 million tonnes, although they believe the same amount of hectares will be combined at 12.89 million. Yield projections are expected to pull back from 1.27 tonnes per hectare in 2022-23 to 1.01 this coming year.

The attaché explained that while the top wheat-growing regions of Kazakhstan had improved soil moisture levels this April compared to a year ago, there’s been rapid evaporation. As well, the country’s weather outlook from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) calls for higher than normal temperatures, which would then lead to additional moisture loss.

The Astana desk pegged Kazakhstan’s wheat imports for 2023-24 at two million tonnes, the same as the year before. That would bring the country’s total supply to 17.39 million tonnes, down 2.5 million from 2022-23.

Wheat exports were projected to slip back from 10.5 million tonnes in 2022-23 down to nine million in 2023-24, despite China now allowing Kazakhstan to ship its wheat more easily by hopper cars instead being containerized.

Total wheat consumption in 2023-24 was estimated to hold at seven million tonnes, but ending stocks are to drop by one million tonnes at 1.39 million.

The attaché also forecast Kazakhstan barley production to remain largely the same going into 2023-24, at 3.2 million tonnes. Yields are expected to slip from 1.5 tonnes per hectare in 2022-23 to 1.46 in 2023-24.

With a small decline in imports, the country’s total supply is to dip from 3.79 million tonnes in 2022-23 to 3.62 million in 2023-24. Meanwhile exports are to hold at one million tonnes and total consumption is to decrease by 147,000 tonnes at 2.3 million. In the end, the carryover was projected to hold at 324,000 tonnes from year to year.

USDA will not release any official numbers for the 2023-24 crop year until its next round of supply and demand estimates (WASDE) on May 12.

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That’s according to the latest Canadian Drought Monitor from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, as of Oct. 31.

At the end of that month, 72 per cent of the Prairie region was classified as abnormally dry or in moderate to extreme drought, including 80 per cent of the region’s agricultural landscape.

The lack of precipitation, together with poor moisture reserves after two to five years of dryness in many areas, means “winter precipitation across southern Alberta and Saskatchewan will be crucial in order to replenish water supplies and improve hay and pastures lands by the spring,” according to the report.

Temperatures were all reported as higher than average, with the warmest temperatures seen in Alberta, particularly the Peace region.

Although monthly precipitation improved conditions in southern parts of Alberta, the rest of the province remained significantly dry. Very little precipitation fell across central Alberta at an important time for soil moisture recharge to occur, leading to significant expansion of severe drought conditions as well as small pockets of extreme drought.

Southern Saskatchewan did manage to receive slightly higher than normal precipitation after a couple of storm systems passed through near the end of October; however, long-term deficits remained.

In addition to ongoing water supply concerns, nearly half of all hay and pasture lands reported very short topsoil moisture during the month. There were also concerns about germination of winter wheat due to the dry soils, leading some producers to avoid seeding winter wheat or fall rye.

Conditions across Manitoba were closer to normal in October, with slightly above-normal precipitation and near-normal temperatures. However, precipitation continued to miss Swan River along the west-central side of the province where moderate drought conditions were slightly expanded. This area also reported concern for livestock water supplies, but adequate amounts of feed exist to carry cattle over into the spring.

Contrary to the drying trend in western Manitoba, south-central and southeastern parts of the province received adequate precipitation this year, with Winnipeg reporting its wettest year on record with 739.5 millimetres as of Oct. 24, 2022.

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With a gain of 12 points on the week, Alberta Financial Services Corp. (AFSC) estimated 87.6 per cent of the major crops were harvested. While that’s slightly below this time last year, it’s far above the five-year average of 57.3 per cent complete.

In addition to what’s been combined, 14 per cent of crops in Alberta were swathed, with seven per cent remaining untouched.

By region, the south was furthest along in the harvest at 97 per cent finished, followed by the northeast at 90.2 per cent. Next was the central region at 85.5 per cent done, then the Peace region at 81.1 per cent and the northwest at 75.1 per cent.

By crop, dry peas were almost finished, being at 98.6 per cent combined. Spring wheat and barley were in a virtual dead heat at 95.3 and 95.4 per cent respectively. Oats was next at 85.9 per cent complete and canola was 74.8 per cent.

The province continued to become drier, according to AFSC. There’s no longer any region that had excessive moisture and levels in Alberta were all of 26.2 per cent good to excellent. Peace River fared the best at 49.6 per cent good to excellent, then the northwest at 40.9 per cent, central at 32 per cent, the northeast at 22 per cent and the south at only 11 per cent.

Added to that, only a quarter of Alberta’s pasturelands were rated good to excellent. That’s despite significant rainfall in the Peace during the week.

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Think of water as a bank account, says Dr. Phillip Harder. Your moisture balance is what’s been deposited, minus what’s gone out via forage and crop use. Figuring how much water you’ve got in the bank means tracking how much Mother Nature has deposited.

Harder is a researcher with the Global Institute for Water Security at the University of Saskatchewan. Last month, Lisa Guenther caught up with him at the Livestock and Forage Centre of Excellence field day to talk water and agriculture. In this interview, Harder outlines what the ideal rain gauge looks like and how much moisture has come from the summer rainfall vs. the winter snowpack at the Livestock and Forage Centre of Excellence. He also explains how to estimate the moisture content of the winter snowpack through surveys.

For those interested in surveying snow, Harder has set up an online spreadsheet that includes instructions and will calculate the average snow-water equivalent.

The post AUDIO: Researcher offers tips for figuring out how much water you’ve got in the bank appeared first on Canadian Cattlemen.

As of Tuesday, Alberta Agriculture found seeding in the south was at 36.5 per cent complete, while that in the central region was 5.9 and the rest of the province was 0.1 to 0.6 per cent done.

That’s due to the south being much drier than the rest of Alberta, rated at 31.2 per cent poor, 28.1 fair, 40.3 good and 0.4 excellent. Provincewide, soil moisture levels are 21.7 per cent poor, 28.2 fair, 37.8 good, 11.4 excellent and 0.9 excessive. The Peace River region was the most inundated with at 0.4 per cent poor, 7.5 fair, 27.5 good, 57.2 excellent and 7.4 excessive.

In terms of crops in the ground across Alberta, durum led the way at 52.9 per cent planted, followed by potatoes at 44.8 per cent. Lentils were next at 39.3 per cent, chickpeas 34.4 and dry peas 21.8. The oilseeds and some cereals had slower progress, with mustard at 17.7 per cent complete, barley 13, spring wheat 12.4, flax 11.7, canola 2.3, oats 0.7, and mixed grain 0.5.

Pasture growth across the province was worse off overall when compared to the five-year average. Currently, pastures are 32 per cent poor and 40.8 fair, 25.1 good and 2.1 excellent. The averages are 24.5 per cent poor, 26.7 fair, 44.5 good and 4.3 excellent.

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Mike Fleischhauer of Eagle Commodities Ltd. in Lethbridge said there has been little price movement for the feed grain staple recently as most feedlots are already set for grain for the next few months. Workers at CP agreed March 22 to pursue final and binding arbitration with the railway.

Corn prices “went up a little bit. There’s not a lot moving,” he said. “But the rail (stoppage) ending quickly definitely helped. They’re kind of up-and-down a little bit. Right now, (corn is) at $464 per tonne ($11.79 per bushel).”

By comparison, the high-delivered bid for feed barley in Alberta is $9.80/bu., while feed wheat in Alberta traded as high as $13.88/bu., according to Prairie Ag Hotwire. Fleischhauer added there is not enough volume for both barley and wheat to make feedlots switch from corn.

Rising fuel costs due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine are having very little effect on corn prices, he added, but the lack of snow cover in areas of southern Alberta does not bode well for this year’s grain crop. According to Fleischhauer, some growers are already concerned.

“You get guys that are already starting to scratch a little bit in the fields already,” he said. “We didn’t have a lot of moisture this year in the south…We’ll just have to wait and see what transpires here over the next couple of weeks and see what we have for melt. A slow melt would be great for the (Prairie) provinces as opposed to a quick melt and everything getting dry again.

“Two droughts in two years will keep the markets up for sure,” he added.

— Adam Peleshaty reports for MarketsFarm from Stonewall, Man.

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Meanwhile, dry conditions are expected to continue across the Prairies.

AccuWeather’s report forecasts below-normal temperatures for B.C. and western Alberta going into spring. That could delay the snowpack from melting, leading to an increased risk of flooding.

“The result of this expected weather pattern will be above-normal snowpack and river levels that may lead to a higher-than-usual threat for spring flooding due to excessive runoff and ice jams in B.C. and western Alberta by late spring and into early summer,” AccuWeather meteorologist Brett Anderson said in a news release.

Anderson, a specialist in long-range forecasting for the private weather service, explained there are two storm tracks, with one helping stir up storms across B.C. and elsewhere in Canada, something quite typical during a La Nina.

The other track will veer south into the northern U.S. Plains, taking away opportunities for precipitation from the Prairies. In turn, that’s expected intensify the current dry conditions across the Prairies.

“However, it is still very early and conditions can change quickly in early spring, thus additional updates on the spring flood risk are likely through the season,” Anderson added.

There could be a risk of wildfires in southern Saskatchewan and southwestern Manitoba, he cautioned, should the dryness become quite severe during the spring.

For Ontario and Quebec, as well as Atlantic Canada, AccuWeather forecasts above-normal precipitation during the spring. While that will replenish depleted soil moisture levels in a number of parts of Eastern Canada, the likelihood of more precipitation could result in flash flooding.

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