In this Prairie Weather this Week report, we take a look at the forecast for Central Alberta.

In this Prairie Weather this Week report, we take a look at the forecast for Southern Alberta.

Lightning....friend or foe?   Both.

Thunderstorm season has begun across the prairies, bringing with it danger, and a great benefit to growing crops.

How to Stay Safe

Safety is paramount, so we'll deal with the danger first.   Lightning is generated by the attraction between the negative charges at the bottom of a thundercloud and the positive charge of the surface of the Earth.   Similar to a magnet, the opposite charges are drawn to each other, and when the connection is made, a lightning flash results.  The danger is obvious.  The consequences can be deadly.   Besides holding n enormous electrical charge, A lightning bolt is hotter than the surface of the sun.  You don't want to be struck.

Lightning is attracted to the tallest object in contact with the ground.   That's why tall trees or tall buildings are often struck.  When you're out working a field, you are quite possibly the tallest object - a target for a lightning stroke.   You don't want to be the tallest object.   Crouching down isn't good enough.

With the federal election in the rearview mirror, agricultural groups across the country are letting the minority Liberal Government know what they need immediately and in the coming months.

Several of them issued statements in the last week.

Seeding is progressing across Alberta, and with it, a number of farmers will be participating in On-Farm Trials to assess how new products, technologies, or practices perform under real-world conditions.

According to Steve Larocque of Beyond Agronomy, digital tools are transforming the future of these trials. He says platforms like DFI allow producers to carry out large-scale automated strip trials with ease.

When you hear the word lupin, you might think of those purple-pink flowers that dot landscapes and ditches across Canada. However, in this instance, lupin refers to a pulse crop that's becoming a crop to watch in Canadian agriculture.

Researchers at Sarda Ag Research in the Peace Region of Alberta are exploring the potential of lupin, which is high in protein, rich in nutrients, and could have considerable potential for farmers.

"Lupin is similar to how we got into industrial hemp," says Vance Yaremko, Executive Director for Sarda Ag Research. "We're always looking for alternatives here in the Peace Region, because we're mainly known for canola and wheat."

While the pulse market has been growing in that part of the province, Yaremko says there have been some challenges. "We've hit a snag with Aphanomyces being quite detrimental to the product. Lupin has a resistance to this, so we feel there is potential for it to be somewhat of a replacement."

RRC Meteorologist David Spence shares the forecast for NE Alberta

RRC Meteorologist David Spence shares a forecast for Central Alberta

RRC Meteorologist David Spence shares the southern Alberta forecast.

Farmers are very innovative, always coming up with new tools and practices to solve everyday problems on their farm.

One such person is Jessica Carlyon, the owner of Hired Hand Hardware, who also farms in Little Smoky in northwest Alberta.

Carlyon builds and sells a slick tool that cuts, pulls and wraps bale string or wrap from a hay or straw bale while feeding or putting in bedding.