Chicago | Reuters — With seeding roughly halfway complete, the 2023 U.S. hard red winter wheat crop is already being hobbled by drought in the heart of the southern Plains, wheat experts said. Seeding plans may be scaled back in the U.S. breadbasket despite historically high prices for this time of year, reflecting rising global […] Read more
Tag Archives drought — page 10

U.S. winter wheat growers seed into dust as Plains drought persists

Drought-stricken B.C. bracing for floods when rains return
Reuters — British Columbia on Thursday warned residents to prepare for flooding when rains eventually return after a prolonged drought exacerbated by climate change that has raised concerns about long-term damage to ecosystems ranging from glaciers to salmon rivers. The usually rainy western province has experienced weeks of record-breaking warm fall temperatures and minimal precipitation […] Read more

Drought, high costs bring U.S. berry giants to Canada
A warming globe is pushing production into new regions as firms hedge their bets
A swath of Canada better known for maple syrup is being tested to mass produce berries normally grown in warmer locales. That makes the area an unexpected beneficiary of extreme weather, local demand and rising costs in traditional growing areas like California. Driscoll’s and grower-owned Naturipe Farms LLC, two of North America’s largest fruit sellers, […] Read more

Pulse weekly outlook: Saskatchewan’s pulse harvest seen as average
MarketsFarm — As the harvest in Saskatchewan wraps up for 2022, pulse specialist Dale Risula said pulse crops were quite good this year — a definite improvement over last year’s drought-stricken production. “Overall for the province we will likely see average production this year, although some areas suffered pretty badly,” Risula said. He said there […] Read more

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

U.S. livestock: CME live cattle up on demand, tightening supplies
Hogs up on technical bounce
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures rose on Friday in tandem with higher equities and energy markets as a robust slaughter pace and concerns about reduced cattle supplies in the coming months fueled buying. Packers have accelerated their daily slaughter pace following plant downtime around Monday’s Labour Day holiday and they […] Read more

Ending stocks tumble due to drought: StatCan
Canola stocks are below 'pipeline levels'
MarketsFarm — Severe drought in Western Canada during the summer of 2021 has played a major part in reducing the stocks for Canada’s principal field crops at the end of the 2021-22 marketing year, according to Statistics Canada. Canada’s central data agency released a report Wednesday presenting total ending stocks for the country’s major crops […] Read more

Europe facing its worst drought in 500 years
Europe is facing its worst drought in at least 500 years, with two-thirds of the continent in a state of alert or warning, reducing inland shipping, electricity production and the yields of certain crops, a European Union agency said Aug. 22. The August report of the European Drought Observatory (EDO), overseen by the European Commission, […] Read more

Prairies’ high-pressure ridge should give way by mid-month
Brisk harvest pace expected meanwhile
MarketsFarm — While there’s not one specific cause of the hot September the Canadian Prairies has generally been having so far, Weatherlogics chief scientist Scott Kehler notes one particular shorter-term factor. “There is a fairly strong upper-level ridge of high pressure across the Prairies right now,” he explained, adding it should dissipate by mid-month. The […] Read more

Common weed may be ‘super plant’ with key to drought-resistant crops
A common weed harbours important clues about how to create drought-resistant crops in a world beset by climate change. Yale scientists describe how Portulaca oleracea, commonly known as purslane, integrates two distinct metabolic pathways to create a novel type of photosynthesis that enables the weed to endure drought while remaining highly productive. “This is a […] Read more