By Alice McFarlane

Agriculture Roundup for Wednesday May 4, 2022

May 4, 2022 | 10:16 AM

MELFORT, Sask. – The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) said avian influenza has been found in three more communities in Alberta.

CFIA said the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain was confirmed Sunday in a small flock in the County of Two Hills, Wainwright, and Lethbridge County.

The agency said the avian flu is not a significant public health concern for healthy people who are not in regular contact with infected birds.

It has also said the cases serve as a strong reminder that avian influenza is spreading across the world and that anyone with farm animals must practise good biosecurity habits to protect poultry and prevent disease.

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Nutrien Ltd. said it earned a record $1.4 billion in the first quarter as the war in Ukraine drove up commodity prices and raised concerns about global food security.

The Saskatoon-based fertilizer giant, which reports its earnings in U.S. dollars, said it earned $2.49 per share for the quarter ended March 31 compared with 22 cents per diluted share in the same period of 2021.

Nutrien’s sales in the quarter totalled $7.6 billion, up from $4.7 billion in the prior year quarter.

Nutrien said it expects to increase potash production capability by nearly one million tonnes to help meet global demand.

Nutrien says Russia and Belarus account for approximately 40 per cent of global potash production and exports. Financial sanctions imposed on Russia and Belarus due to the war in Ukraine mean that potash exports from the region were approximately 20 per cent lower in the first quarter of 2022 compared to the same time last year.

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Some Alberta farmers are planting their crops in dry soil.

Ian Donovan, who is seeding canola north of Mossleigh, said the first week in May is typically damp and wet.

He said he’s reminded of last year when drought led to the worst harvest in his 30-year farming career.

The Alberta government said in its latest soil moisture report that many areas have received less than 20 millimetres of moisture in the last 60 days and parts of southern Alberta are experiencing one-in-50-year lows.

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alice.mcfarlane@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @farmnewsNOW