There are always a lot of folks willing to help harvest the growing project of the Taber Foodgrains Project. In fact, there’s a waiting list.

Once again, supporters of growing projects are making a difference

Reading Time: 4 minutes Just keeping track of the offers of help would likely keep the eight members of the Taber Foodgrains Project’s organizing committee busy. “There’s probably close to 100 organizations that help out in some way, shape or form,” said Jeremy Wind, the group’s chair. “We had no challenges getting people to help out. There’s always a […] Read more



Saying there are no pesticide runoff problems and proving it are two different things. But extensive and independent testing and lab analysis found pesticide residues were well below prescribed limits.

Getting the facts on pesticide residues

Independent testing gives 15 watersheds a clean bill of health for pesticide concentrations

Reading Time: 5 minutes Alberta farm groups have done their homework to prove that farmers are good stewards of the province’s watersheds. Using an independent testing company and lab, the project extensively sampled 15 watersheds in central and southern Alberta for a panel of 129 pesticides. No instances of pesticide residues above prescribed limits were found. Team Alberta Crops, […] Read more

Last separate elections for cereal groups

Last separate elections for cereal groups

Reading Time: < 1 minute In their last go-round before a full merger, Alberta Wheat and Alberta Barley have largely filled director spots but still need a number of regional reps. Three directors were acclaimed to the board of Alberta Wheat: Dean Hubbard of Claresholm in Region 1 along with Greg Sears of Sexsmith and David Bartlett of Fairview in […] Read more


“I would encourage producers who plan to grow barley in 2023 to consider a new malt variety if they have not already.” – Peter Watts.

The old guard in malt barley is starting to give way

Two up-and-comers top the recommended list from the Canadian Malting Barley Technical Centre

Reading Time: 3 minutes The short list of recommended malt barley varieties is even shorter this year and a familiar name is missing. There are only four on this year’s list of varieties recommended by the Canadian Malting Barley Technical Centre. “At the top of the list this year are two of Canada’s newer varieties, AAC Connect and CDC […] Read more

CBOT March 2023 oats with 20- and 50-day moving averages. (Barchart)

Feed weekly outlook: Wheat, barley eschewed for other grains

Oats, corn finding demand as feed

MarketsFarm — Feed wheat and barley prices in Alberta’s feedlot alley are coming down, largely due to the increasing presence of corn imported from the U.S. The high-delivered bid for Alberta feed barley on Wednesday was $9.80 per bushel, 11 cents lower than the previous week and 22 cents lower than one month earlier, according […] Read more


(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Klassen: Feeder cattle market experiences diverse price behaviour

Manitoba calves hold a premium over Sask., Alta.

Compared to last week, western Canadian yearling markets traded steady to $2 higher while calf prices were unchanged to $4 lower. Yearling supplies are limited and there appeared to be a surge of buying interest for 850-lb. thin-fleshed replacements. Alberta fed cattle basis levels for the second quarter of 2023 have above average and the […] Read more

Photo: File

Australia looking at record wheat, canola crops

Near-record winter crop output expected

MarketsFarm — Australia is forecast to harvest record-large wheat and canola crops in 2022-23, with improved crop prospects in many parts of the country more than offsetting losses in others. That analysis comes from the latest crop report from the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES), released Tuesday. Total production of […] Read more


Country elevators have taken in a lot more wheat so far this crop year but global markets are quickly soaking it up.

Grain movement stats are a window into the market

Weekly numbers from the grain commission give near real-time data on deliveries and exports

Reading Time: 2 minutes Keep an eye on the weekly numbers for producer deliveries and grain exports, says a provincial crops market analyst. “Weekly updates from the Canadian Grain Commission provide useful crop market movement and demand information,” said Neil Blue. The grain commission data covers grain and oilseeds moved in bulk (it doesn’t include container shipments) and it […] Read more

(Dave Bedard photo)

StatCan data show smaller Canadian canola, durum production

Report also logs more barley, oats than previous estimates

MarketsFarm — Canadian farmers grew less canola and durum than originally thought in 2022, but more barley and oats, according to updated production estimates from Statistics Canada released Friday. “There were both bullish and bearish surprises,” MarketsFarm Pro analyst Mike Jubinville said. While canola production of 18.174 million tonnes was still up considerably from the […] Read more