Latest news with #ranchers
CTV News
2 days ago
- Climate
- CTV News
Wide-reaching impact of drought on agriculture
Ranchers in B.C.'s Interior are among those struggling through another dry summer while worrying about the future of their livelihoods.
CTV News
2 days ago
- Climate
- CTV News
Drought conditions gripping parts of B.C. create wide range of negative impacts
Drought conditions have become the norm in many parts of British Columbia in recent summers – bringing negative impacts to agriculture and migrating salmon trying to travel upstream to spawn. Brian Thomas works the same cattle ranch that has been in his family for generations. 'My grandfather moved here in 1890,' he said about the Okanagan Falls property where he tends to 200 head of cattle. To irrigate the fields where the cows graze, the ranch has a small dam and reservoir to store water. 'My grandfather built the dam in 1940,' Thomas said. 'He already had the hindsight, or foresight, whatever you want to call it, to know that water was going to be an issue.' Even with the dam, in dry years like this one, Thomas leaves some of his fields to dry out, because he worries the reservoir may not have enough water to irrigate them all for the full season. He says ranchers like him are willing to build more dams on small waterways but would like the province to cover some of the liability. Under existing regulations, any potential damage falls on the water licence holder – in this case Thomas. 'If we could get the government or somebody else to step up and take a little bit more responsibility of those dams, and the risks of floods and stuff, it would be a big help,' he told CTV News in a video call from his ranch. The province did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the possibility of amending the regulations. Increasingly dry summers also put another food source at risk. Salmon returning to streams where they hatched may not survive the trip through extremely shallow or even dried up waterways – potentially dying before they have a chance to spawn. 'We have species like coho, cutthroat trout that are migrating back from the ocean and they go to the smallest of streams. They will find that there's very little water there,' UBC forestry professor John Richardson said about the current conditions in some B.C. waterways. The latest provincial drought map shows some parts of the southern interior, including the Similkameen and Slocan-Lower Columbia valleys, at level four, one point below the top of the scale.
Wall Street Journal
7 days ago
- Sport
- Wall Street Journal
Other States Have Rodeos. But None Do It Quite Like Montana.
A star-spangled trick rider balances atop a white horse, the American flag clutched in her right hand as she circles the dusty rodeo arena like a real-life Lady Liberty. At her back, thousands cheer in the stands, everyone from local ranchers in hard-earned cowboy hats to kids in pint-size embroidered leather boots. Here in Augusta, Mont., it's a glorious summer day, the kind that begs for icy beers dripping with condensation and corn dogs on sticks; parades led by American Legionnaires and fireworks late into the night. It feels like the Fourth of July—except it's June 29.
Yahoo
24-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Tractor Supply (TSCO) Tops Q2 Earnings and Revenue Estimates
Tractor Supply (TSCO) came out with quarterly earnings of $0.81 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.8 per share. This compares to earnings of $0.79 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non-recurring items. This quarterly report represents an earnings surprise of +1.25%. A quarter ago, it was expected that this retailer for farmers and ranchers would post earnings of $0.37 per share when it actually produced earnings of $0.34, delivering a surprise of -8.11%. Over the last four quarters, the company has surpassed consensus EPS estimates just once. Tractor Supply, which belongs to the Zacks Retail - Miscellaneous industry, posted revenues of $4.44 billion for the quarter ended June 2025, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 0.87%. This compares to year-ago revenues of $4.25 billion. The company has topped consensus revenue estimates just once over the last four quarters. The sustainability of the stock's immediate price movement based on the recently-released numbers and future earnings expectations will mostly depend on management's commentary on the earnings call. Tractor Supply shares have added about 12.4% since the beginning of the year versus the S&P 500's gain of 8.1%. What's Next for Tractor Supply? While Tractor Supply has outperformed the market so far this year, the question that comes to investors' minds is: what's next for the stock? There are no easy answers to this key question, but one reliable measure that can help investors address this is the company's earnings outlook. Not only does this include current consensus earnings expectations for the coming quarter(s), but also how these expectations have changed lately. Empirical research shows a strong correlation between near-term stock movements and trends in earnings estimate revisions. Investors can track such revisions by themselves or rely on a tried-and-tested rating tool like the Zacks Rank, which has an impressive track record of harnessing the power of earnings estimate revisions. Ahead of this earnings release, the estimate revisions trend for Tractor Supply was unfavorable. While the magnitude and direction of estimate revisions could change following the company's just-released earnings report, the current status translates into a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell) for the stock. So, the shares are expected to underperform the market in the near future. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. It will be interesting to see how estimates for the coming quarters and the current fiscal year change in the days ahead. The current consensus EPS estimate is $0.47 on $3.72 billion in revenues for the coming quarter and $2.09 on $15.63 billion in revenues for the current fiscal year. Investors should be mindful of the fact that the outlook for the industry can have a material impact on the performance of the stock as well. In terms of the Zacks Industry Rank, Retail - Miscellaneous is currently in the bottom 20% of the 250 plus Zacks industries. Our research shows that the top 50% of the Zacks-ranked industries outperform the bottom 50% by a factor of more than 2 to 1. Another stock from the same industry, Arhaus, Inc. (ARHS), has yet to report results for the quarter ended June 2025. This company is expected to post quarterly earnings of $0.15 per share in its upcoming report, which represents a year-over-year change of -6.3%. The consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has remained unchanged over the last 30 days. Arhaus, Inc.'s revenues are expected to be $335.65 million, up 8.4% from the year-ago quarter. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Tractor Supply Company (TSCO) : Free Stock Analysis Report Arhaus, Inc. (ARHS) : Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research ( Zacks Investment Research Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
CBC
20-07-2025
- Climate
- CBC
2 northern Alberta municipalities declare agricultural disasters due to dry conditions
Two rural municipalities in northwestern Alberta are sounding the alarm over extremely dry conditions that local officials say are threatening the livelihood of many cattle ranchers in the region. On July 8, the Municipal District of Greenview, located about 400 kilometres northwest of Edmonton, declared a municipal agricultural disaster for its livestock industry. With widespread dry weather persisting throughout the region, the neighbouring County of Grande Prairie also declared an agricultural disaster on Friday due to similar concerns for their livestock herds. In a new release on Monday, the M.D. of Greenview stated that the decision was made because of unprecedented drought conditions and significant grasshopper infestations in the region, which are causing hay and pasture lands to fail. Bill Smith, the deputy reeve for the M.D. of Greenview and a fourth-generation rancher, said he can't remember a time when the region saw this many consecutive years of dry conditions. "I've asked some of the old-timers that I know, and none of them say they've ever seen it this bad, because on top of how dry it is, it's these grasshoppers that are just hammering us." The exceptional drought conditions are leaving ranchers concerned they won't have enough hay to feed their livestock, said Smith. "I should be getting 3,000 bales a year, and I'm probably going to hit 500 [bales this year]. Last year, there were about 1,000. This is about as severe as it's gonna get for us." Smith said the dry conditions are being compounded by throngs of grasshoppers that are devouring any new plant growth in the area. "Now, we have these grasshoppers, and they're just flying right now, and they are like a combine going across the field. They're just sucking up any quality [hay] that we have." Tyler Olsen, the reeve for the M.D. of Greenview, said he is very concerned that the local drought conditions will result in a serious lack of feed for the region's cattle herds through the fall and winter. As a result, he said these conditions could force ranchers to preemptively liquidate their herds. "There are producers that are looking at selling already. They just can't make it through the fall with what they have," said Olsen. Olsen hopes that declaring this agricultural disaster will help bring awareness to some of the needs of the municipality's livestock industry from both provincial and federal governments. Parts of the province have been dealing with extended periods of drought and that's taking a toll on some agricultural industries. The municipal district of Greenview in northwest Alberta has declared a state of agricultural disaster for the region's livestock producers. Tyler Olsen is the reeve of the district, and Bill Smith is the deputy reeve for the area, as well as a fourth generation rancher. In an open letter to Alberta's Agriculture Minister RJ Sigurdson, Olsen asked for the M.D. of Greenview to be included in the regions that are eligible for the federal livestock tax deferral program. He also requested additional mental health support for farmers struggling with the worsening conditions for their livestock. "It's their livelihoods that are failing now, and that's gonna be harsh for them. Their minds are part of the whole thing, and if we can't protect those too, then it's going to be even more detrimental." In a statement to CBC, the provincial Agricultural Ministry stated that it provides grants to multiple organizations that offer agriculture-specific mental health support for farmers. The ministry also said the province is committed to continuing advocacy efforts at a federal level on behalf of livestock producers affected by extreme weather conditions. It said that as a result of this advocacy, more eligible regions in Alberta have been able to access federal financial support. Smith said that many ranchers in the area may be forced to leave the livestock industry entirely due to the current difficult conditions.
