Canada - Snow puts another damper on 2019 harvest

29.10.2019 797 views
Harvest wasn’t done in Saskatchewan when snow fell on the weekend, but Todd Lewis says farmers won’t stop because of the white stuff. Lewis, the president of the Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan, said Monday he expects farmers to keep working to get all of their crops into the bin. "It’s another slowdown for sure, but in our own local area, there was a producer (Sunday) out combining some canola," said Lewis, who farms near Gray. "When (snow falls) with a cold temperature, a lot of producers are still able to continue combining if it remains cold enough. When it melts, that will slow things down because the moisture content will come up in the crop and it’ll have to dry out." If there’s more snow and there’s drifting, that will cause problems. But even if the fields are wet, Lewis said farmers can take advantage of the frost to get onto their land in hopes of getting more of their crops off. "If it’s not snowing too hard (Monday), there will be guys out there trying to get what they can," Lewis said. "(The snow) certainly delayed (harvest) again and this week’s forecast sure doesn’t look good, but we could have some nice weather the first part of November as well. "We’re getting close to the end, but I don’t think we’re quite there yet." According to Thursday’s crop report, harvest was 83 per cent complete in Saskatchewan. Farmers may have got more combining done since then, but the snow started flying Saturday to put a damper on things. Lewis admitted that some producers may have decided to end their harvest for the year and leave crops in the fields, while others will choose to soldier on. "Producers are going to have to make some hard decisions as far as when they’re going to have to quit," Lewis said. "Nobody wants to see a crop go through the winter months out in the fields but unfortunately we’re going to be at that stage here in a lot of Saskatchewan this fall." Lewis finished his harvest on Wednesday, so he avoided having to make that decision. His biggest frustration was the number of continuous days he had for harvest. Other than a recent one-week stretch of decent weather, Lewis said the longest streak of good weather during harvest comprised of just two days. He remembered other years where harvest dragged on, but this one has been what he called "especially troublesome" because of the amount of moisture involved. "It’s difficult to get into the field and producers are getting stuck," he said. "And certainly the downgrading of the crop has been pretty far spread and wide (to the point) that we’re seeing losses as far as the grain quality throughout southern Saskatchewan." Source - https://www.ckom.com
12.03.2026

USA - Software vendor sues FCIC after regulators reverse agent compensation rules

The firm alleges it invested nearly $20 million based on federal approvals later reversed.

12.03.2026

Philippines - Eastern Visayas to pilot mangrove insurance program

Hundreds of residents along the coast of Cancabato Bay were saved when Typhoon Yolanda struck this city in November 2013, thanks to a mangrove forest established by a local fishing community.

12.03.2026

India - Farmers fear yield loss after hailstorm in Ajnala villages

Intermittent drizzling accompanied by moderate winds and sporadic hailstorms in parts of the region early Thursday morning led to a noticeable drop in temperature, providing relief from the recent spell of rising heat.

12.03.2026

USA - As strawberry season begins, SC farmers are wary of disease threat that could ruin crops

South Carolina strawberry farmers are approaching spring with cautious optimism.

12.03.2026

Philippines - PCIC: Over 80% of farmers’ insurance claims released within 20 days

The majority of insurance claims of farmers and fishers have been released within the standard 20-day processing period in 2025, according to the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation (PCIC).

12.03.2026

India - Centre to procure 100% tur dal from farmers in Madhya Pradesh

Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Thursday approved 100% procurement of tur (pigeon pea) dal from Madhya Pradesh, a move aimed at protecting farmers from any fall in market prices.

11.03.2026

Scaling up crop insurance in Africa for climate resilience and agricultural transformation

As climate change impacts intensify, African economies face increasing exposure to extreme weather events. The World Bank estimates that nearly 18% of the world’s population is at risk from severe weather events from which recovery would be difficult; in Africa, that number is 37%.

11.03.2026

USA - Specialty Crop Losses Outpace Federal Bridge Assistance Funding

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is rolling out a new Farmer Bridge Assistance (FBA) program for specialty crops — that is, crops not included in the first $1 billion relief package — but early analysis from Terrain suggests economic losses across the sector far exceed available funding.