The Rural Voice, 2002-08, Page 55PSE, SERVICE
& SATISFACTION
1996 JEEP GRAND
CHEROKEE LAREDO
Local owner, 6 cyl., auto,
P.W., P.L., T.C., air, select
trac, 4 x 4, excellent
condition. 92,900
2000 DODGE RAM
1500 ST MODEL
V6, auto, air, only 20,000
kms., local owner,
like new. '19,900
1995 DODGE RAM 1500 4x4
SHORT BOX SIT MODEL
V8, auto, P.W., P.L., T.C., air,
excellent condition, black,
local owner. =14,900
1992 FORD F250 EXT. CAB
Diesel, auto, 2WD, XLT model,
2 tone, PW, PL, TC, air, local
owner, mint condition,
7.3 diesel, low kms. 114,900
HANOVER CHRYSLER
DODGE JEEP
664 -10th St.,
Hanover
1-866-788-8886
Phone: (519) 364-3570
0
CIIRYSI IN
Dodge
Jeep
52 THE RURAL VOICE
AgriTech
Monitoring weather and crop conditions
Janice
Becker is a
computer
enthusiast
and
journalist
living near
Walton, ON.
The mercury has reached into the
low 30s repeatedly over the past
several weeks, the skies have dawned
clear blue most days and gentle
breezes have rippled through the
rapidly ripening wheat fields.
It all may sound very poetic, the
perfect weather for summer, but
farmers in many areas of the country
have either already suffered
devastating losses to this year's crops
(and their future), or are cautiously
watching the fields for signs of heat
stress and hoping rain comes before
it's too late. And yet in parts of
Ontario and Manitoba, floods have
washed away or drowned the crops
that had emerged.
Increasingly, the weather seems to
be throwing more curves at the
agricultural communities.
Though I'm not of an age to
actually remember the dust bowl that
crippled agriculture in the prairies in
the 1930s, pictures from the nightly
news bring those images to mind.
So whether you're interested in the
market impact of minimal grain crops
from the West this year, or the
forecast for precipitation in Ontario,
the Natiooa! Crop Conditions
website, www.agr.gc.ca/policy/crop/
home_e.html, from Agriculture and
Agric-Food Canada, offers some
insight into moving weather patterns,
predictions for. future conditions and
bi-weekly reports on the state of
specific crops from all provinces.
Posted from May through November,
the reports began May 17 this year
and are available through the season
as are archival reports back to 1999.
The brief summaries give a
general overview while going to the
entries on the left of the page offer
more detail. Warnings for pest
invasions are included with growth
stages, soil conditions and harvest
times.
Conditions for crops other than the
widely grown such as corn and wheat
are also listed. These include
strawberries, fruits and tobacco for
Ontario while other provinces take in
crops specific to those regions.
A look at the national precipitation
map for the April to June 30 period
shows that mid -western and central
Ontario received 115 to 150 per cent
above the normal for rainfall,
something most farmers could attest
to, while the Windsor and Niagara
regions received closer to customary
levels. Small pockets around
Peterborough and Ottawa were
soaked with 150 to 200 per cent of
the average precipitation.
However, looking back to
September of last year, the light
winter snowfall resulted in average
levels of moisture for much of the
province over the longer period.
A student of geography, I also
found it very interesting to check out
the prairie drought -watch on the
website. Overlaying the areas which
have seen miniscule amounts of
precipitation, both rain and snow over
the past few years, with areas of
above -normal temperatures makes it
easy to understand the powder -dry
conditions now afflicting parts of
central Alberta and Saskatchewan.
If you are interested in more detailed
weather forecasting for your region,
take a look at the Canadian
government's site at
weatheroffice.ec.gc.ca/canada_e.html
Five-day forecasts for areas
surrounding a relatively large
community can be reviewed. Satellite
weather maps and images of the
moving weather patterns can help
track systems moving into the
province.
A quick glimpse in mid-July did
not look promising for much
moisture or dramatic drops in
temperature, but I suppose that is
good for ripening grain fields and we
should all appreciate the heat while
it's here. Cold weather and snow
can't be that far off. We do live in
Canada.
Contact me at jlbecker@wightman.ca
or through The Rural Voice office,
with topic suggestions or feedback.0