Wild weather threatens grain

Farmers in Canada are struggling to plant crops in fields that are either too wet or too dry, testing an already tight grain market. Onequarter of the cropland in Alberta is in a significant drought, including major growing areas for spring wheat, barley and durum, said Trevor Hadwen, agroclimate specialist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. In Manitoba, two-thirds of growing areas are suffering from excess moisture after back-to-back storms, he said. That’s caused overland flooding, delaying the start of planting even as another storm threatens more rain this weekend.