Rain continues to dampen farmers’ spirits

Sep 10, 2019

Farmers are patiently listening to the forecast and watching the rain gauge as a cool and wet start to September has kept them out of the field.

Meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada, Terri Lang said Tuesday’s expected five millimeters of rain would be tacked onto the current count of 19.8 mm for the P.A area. That puts it slightly ahead of the average monthly rainfall at 49.1 mm.

“It’s been quite the wet start for September,” Lang said. “Not good news for the farmers unfortunately, because they need the warmth and the dryness to get the crops off.

“We’re really lacking that heat and it will just continue to go that way as those nights do get longer, plus as we move into September that risk of frost really comes into play and that can affect some of the crops as well,” she said.

According to Lang, a ridge of high pressure is on its way to the region on Friday and that could bring some nicer temperatures.

“It looks like a bit of a drier weekend on the way. Probably not a chance of rain until next week sometime. So if they (farmers) can sit it out the next couple of days, towards the end of the week is looking better,” she said.

Prince Albert Agrologist George Lewko expressed a little concern over the damp conditions explaining long periods of wet and humid weather which can lead to crops prematurely sprouting.

“In cereals it can hurt crop quality,” Lewko said. “Sometimes on canola though, a little bit of rain on it, helps ripen it up and change the green count.”

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Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.