Wildfires in Canada have burned nearly 6.5 million acres of land and forced thousands of evacuations. U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Meteorologist Brad Rippey says the smoke is now impacting conditions here in the United States.
“Some of that smoke has been at ground level and has resulted in significant degradations in air quality, very thick, heavy haze, and some visibility reductions,” Rippey said on a call with media this week. “And so [that could affect] folks with sensitivity to particulate matter, as that has been a problem for several days across the north-central United States. Now with that cold front moving in, that is helping to push that smoke east, most of it aloft. But at the same time, for example, Tuesday morning we are seeing quite a ribbon of smoke extending from around Lake Superior, southwestward into eastern Nebraska, along with and ahead of that cold front.”
Rippey says a cold front will keep moving east and hopefully clear some of the smoke. However, he did say the smoke also caused some very bright sunrises and sunsets across much of the U.S. this week.
At CattleCon 2026 in Nashville, RealAg Radio’s Shaun Haney discusses profitability, consumer demand, and how the integrated U.S.–Canada beef supply chain impacts cattle producers across North America.
February 06, 2026 04:59 PM
·
RealAg Radio host Shaun Haney says farmers there are already sounding the alarm about what this could mean for the future of ag research.
February 03, 2026 01:03 PM
·
President Donald Trump speaks at the World Economic Forum in Davos, addressing SNAP spending, tariff threats against Europe, market reactions, and the upcoming USMCA review.
January 21, 2026 11:50 AM
·
Corn growers are turning to ethanol, E15 expansion, and export markets to help absorb record supplies and stabilize prices. Farm leaders discuss low-carbon ethanol demand, flex-fuel vehicle challenges, input costs, and the role of USMCA as producers look for market relief in the year ahead.
January 20, 2026 02:04 PM
·
Shaun Haney joined us to discuss Canada’s new trade agreement with China, the potential impact on farmers and exporters, and what it could mean for U.S.–Canada trade relations going forward.
January 16, 2026 01:16 PM
·
Alissa White with American Farmland Trust joined us to provide insight into climate resilience efforts and strategies to help farmers manage weather-related risks.
January 14, 2026 02:20 PM
·
