THURSDAY, MAY 11, 2017
VOL. 95 | NO. 19 | $4.25
Give a pig a drink Woman acquitted of criminal mischief | P. 3
All about drones SERVING WESTERN CANADIAN FARM FAMILIES SINCE 1923
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RUSHING TO FINISH LAST YEAR’S HARVEST
Our Precision Ag feature takes to the air | P. 50 SCIENCE
Can crops help fight global warming? Reflective crops studied for possible role as climate change fighters BY ROBERT ARNASON BRANDON BUREAU
The Albedo Effect. A great title for a mediocre action thriller, likely starring Keanu Reaves. Albedo is actually a scientific term, representing the amount of solar energy that reflects off the earth. Different types of land cover, trees, cropland and asphalt reflect different amounts of solar energy. When it comes to crops, canola is an albedo superstar during its flowering period. “Anybody that has driven by a canola field in full flower will (think), ‘I wish I had my sunglasses on,’ ” said Brian McConkey, an Agriculture Canada scientist in Swift Current, Sask., who specializes in the interaction between agriculture and the environment. The amount of solar energy a crop reflects is more important than simply forcing someone to don sunglasses. SEE REFLECTIVE CROPS, PAGE 5
WILLIAM DEKAY PHOTO
WEATHER
Drought a possibility: forecaster Prediction based on the disappearance of a blob of warm water in the Pacific Ocean BY SEAN PRATT SASKATOON NEWSROOM
Weather forecasters are at odds about what kind of summer to expect. AccuWeather is warning farmers in central and northern Alberta that they should prepare for drought.
“We think it’s going to be a very warm summer,” said Canadian weather expert Brett Anderson. It is also going to be a dry summer. June will have near normal precipitation, but July and August will turn dry as a high pressure system suppresses storm activity across the prairie region. Anderson said it will be particu-
larly hot and parched in a wide swath stretching from northwestern Alberta to southeastern Saskatchewan. “Northern and central Alberta really sticks out like a sore thumb in terms of dryness,” he said. He is not as concerned about the rest of the prairie region. “I don’t think we’re going into a
drought in Saskatchewan. I think we have enough moisture in the ground,” said Anderson. Manitoba will receive thunderstorms from time to time throughout the summer months and is not expected to be as warm as the other prairie provinces. SEE DROUGHT FORECAST, PAGE 4
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u|xhHEEJBy00001pzYv,:^ MAY 11, 2017 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: Box 2500, Stn. Main, Saskatoon, SK. S7K 2C4 The Western Producer is published in Saskatoon by Western Producer Publications, which is owned by GVIC Communications Corp. Publisher: Shaun Jessome Publications Mail Agreement No. 40069240
Always on the lookout for wet areas, Scott Kissick and his family harvest wheat near Kerrobert, Sask., May 6. |