Dry winter has Alberta farmers longing for rain

Apr 06, 2016

Lack of moisture could impact grass and forage

By Diego Flammini
Assistant Editor, North American Content
Farms.com

Farmers, in Alberta especially, need rain.

After an extremely dry and warm winter, producers in the province are hoping the rain falls as a crucial time approaches.

Murray Marsh, a grain and cattle farmer near Carstairs, Alberta, told CBC that some of his 120 cows are ready to give birth and rains are needed to provide enough food for the herd.

“If we don’t get the moisture prior to mid-April, it starts to limit the amount of grass and forage we’ll get,” he said.

Rain

“It would be ideal if we could get some moisture now,” Debbie Marsh, Murray’s wife said in an interview with CBC.

According to Alberta Agriculture and Forestry’s latest Moisture Situation Update, parts of Alberta experienced the kind of drought that only comes around every 50 years.

Rain is coming, but producers in Alberta wonder if it will be enough.

Data from The Weather Network shows light rain on Thursday, April 14, and Monday, April 18 could be cloudy with showers.

Alberta farmers have been struggling with drought since at least last August, when the province declared an agricultural disaster after uncooperative weather was estimated to decrease crop yields by as much as 30 per cent.

Video: Dicamba Returns for Georgia Farmers: What the New EPA Ruling Means for Cotton Growers

After being unavailable in 2024 due to registration issues, dicamba products are returning for Georgia farmers this growing season — but under strict new conditions.

In this report from Tifton, Extension Weed Specialist Stanley Culpepper explains the updated EPA ruling, including new application limits, mandatory training requirements, and the need for a restricted use pesticide license. Among the key changes: a cap of two ½-pound applications per year and the required use of an approved volatility reduction agent with every application.

For Georgia cotton producers, the ruling is significant. According to Taylor Sills with the Georgia Cotton Commission, the vast majority of cotton planted in the state carries the dicamba-tolerant trait — meaning farmers had been paying for technology they couldn’t use.

While environmental groups have expressed concerns over spray drift, Georgia growers have reduced off-target pesticide movement by more than 91% over the past decade. Still, this two-year registration period will come with increased scrutiny, making stewardship and compliance more important than ever.