Snowstorm Offers Some Drought Relief

Nov 15, 2021

The first big snowstorm of the winter has brought drought relief to parts of Western Canada.

As can be seen on the map below, much of the eastern half of Manitoba did the best, with the more southern areas of the province picking up anywhere from 5 to 15 cm of the white stuff on Thursday and into today. Winnipeg received between 9 and 15 cms, while the Swan River area got dumped on by as much as 30 cm. Saskatchewan had its own band of significant precipitation as well, from the Prince Albert area to Yorkton.

However, there was no significant reprieve for the severely drought stricken areas of southwestern or west-central Saskatchewan or neighboring areas of Alberta.

The latest outlook from World Weather Inc. suggests more snow in parts of Manitoba Friday night and into Saturday, with the drier Prairie areas only seeing minor amounts.

The latest monthly update of the Canadian drought monitor showed virtually all of the main Prairie production area in abnormal dryness or drought as of the end of October.

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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.