Some Alberta farmers are seeding and hoping the rain stays away, while others are still just trying to get last year's crop off.

Alberta Pork is asking the provincial government to step in and help keep pork producers afloat.

In response to challenges farmers are facing amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a $5-billion increase in lending capacity for farmers and food producers in Ottawa on Monday morning.

The budget indicates that 277 people in permanent positions with Alberta Agriculture and Forestry are facing layoffs.

Experts and guests covered a variety of topics in the agriculture and beef sectors, like family farm succession planning and the jump in plant-based proteins.

As of Dec. 3, 2019, 89.7 per cent of all crops had been harvested across the province, which is down from both 2018 and 2017.

The County of St. Paul declared state of agricultural disaster, saying that as of Nov. 26, 35 per cent of crops were still in the ground.

The majority of Alberta farm operations would no longer have to follow employment standards rules or have workplace insurance under a bill introduced in the legislature.

Winter's icy fingers have touched most of the Prairies since late September, causing havoc and frustration for many farmers trying to get crops off their fields.

Canadian sugar company Rogers has announced that it has been forced to terminate the 2019 sugar beet harvest in southern Alberta due to the impact of severe weather.