THURSDAY, JULY 24, 2014
VOL. 92 | NO. 30 | $4.25
WHEAT BLUEPRINT | RESEARCH BREAKTHROUGH P17
SERVING WESTERN CANADIAN FARM FAMILIES SINCE 1923
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A farmer sprays a canola field west of Nanton, Alta., in mid-July. While crops are looking good in some parts of the Prairies, other areas are not faring well because of a late spring and excessive moisture. Temperatures near 30 C in southern Alberta over the past two weeks have not favoured canola, which thrives at cooler temperatures. | MIKE STURK PHOTO CROP OUTLOOK | PRAIRIE SURVEY
While east suffers, crops in west reasonable Manitoba suffering most | Canola and pulses are faring well in the west and timely heat could increase wheat protein SASKATOON NEWSROOM
Crop losses in waterlogged western Manitoba and eastern Saskatchewan will be partially offset by better results in other parts of the Prairies, say analysts. Canola crops are shaping up nicely in western Saskatchewan, said Clint Jurke, the Canola Council of Canada’s agronomy specialist for the region. “If we keep getting some timely rainfalls, we actually could be in a very similar situation to where we were last year,” he said. Jurke drove from Lloydminster to
Swift Current and back last week and was encouraged by what he saw looking out the window. There was hail damage and lingering stand establishment issues in some fields, but for the most part the crops looked good. “You know what? The crops don’t look too bad,” he said. “Hopefully the west will balance out some of the losses in the east.” Canola crops in western Saskatchewan are now only about two days behind normal development after a late start to spring seeding. Jurke’s focus is canola, but from what he has heard from colleagues and observed himself, other crops
are faring as well if not better. “The pulses are looking fantastic, as a rule, particularly through the westcentral areas of Saskatchewan, and cereals as well look pretty good.” Others do not share that vision. Larry Weber of Weber Commodities says the province’s pulse crops are under siege from diseases like root rot. He estimates Saskatchewan may lose 20 to 40 percent of its peas and lentils. Errol Anderson, author of the ProMarket Wire newsletter, said two weeks of hot weather during flowering has trimmed yields in Alberta. “We had enough heat here that we
won’t have a bumper crop in Alberta. We’re going to have a good, solid, average crop,” he said. According to the Alberta government’s crop report, 77 percent of the crop was in good to excellent condition as of July 15. Anderson thinks it has tailed off since then. “That very hot weather just sort of took the top off the crop,” he said. However, the July heat should result in a high protein wheat crop, which may help offset some of the yield losses. SEE EAST SUFFERS, PAGE 2
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SASKATCHEWAN-MANITOBA FLOODS | FEDERAL SUPPORT
Existing programs won’t work: flooded farmers BY KAREN BRIERE REGINA BUREAU
The president of Keystone Agricultural Producers says he’s disappointed the federal government isn’t going to bail out flooded Manitoba farmers. Doug Chorney said comments from agriculture minister Gerry Ritz
at the close of a meeting with his provincial counterparts in Winnipeg last week left him with little hope that money is coming through AgriRecovery or other programs. Ritz told reporters July 18 that farmers are well served by existing programs. He said changes made since the 2011 flood have improved crop insurance coverage.
“So it’s much more bankable and predictable and stable than waiting for an ad hoc payment under something like AgriRecovery,” he said. Chorney said that wasn’t what he wanted to hear. He has estimated farmers in his province will lose $1 billion because of the flood, and he noted the situation for some Saskatchewan farmers is also dire.
He said multiple years of flooding have made existing programs less effective. “If the insurance program starts to break down because of all the years of difficulty, those programs aren’t working, and I’m hearing that loud and clear,” he said. SEE EXISTING PROGRAMS, PAGE 3
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BY SEAN PRATT