Canada’s big two railways have about two more weeks to hand over about $5.6 million in Prairie grain revenue overages and related penalties for the 2019-20 crop year. The Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) on Dec. 22 ruled Canadian National Railway (CN) and Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) each overshot their maximum revenue entitlements (MREs) for the […] Read more

Railways overshoot grain revenue limits for 2019-20
Grain revenues run $5.3 million over caps, CTA rules

Cereal groups’ amalgamation talks slowed by pandemic
Alberta Barley and Alberta Wheat aiming to wrap up review of merger proposal in coming year
Reading Time: 3 minutes There’s no marriage proposal yet, but Alberta Barley and Alberta Wheat want to get moving on what has become a longer-than-expected process on whether to amalgamate or not. “We’re just in the beginning stage of where it will go, and the timeline and how to communicate,” Dave Bishop, immediate past chair of the Alberta Barley […] Read more

Klassen: Feeder cattle prices digesting uncertainty
Defensive tone likely through January
The feeder cattle market was very quiet during the last week of December with auction barns in holiday mode. There were discussions regarding direct sales but no actual business was confirmed. The stakes are too high given the market uncertainty; a defensive tone will likely continue throughout January. Feed grains continue to percolate higher; the […] Read more

Visions of the future: Canada’s crop sector looks ahead
Four crop industry leaders share their hopeful vision for their sectors in the coming decade
Reading Time: 7 minutes As we leave 2020 behind us, it isn’t hard to see hope on the horizon. That’s the view of four producers who sit on the boards of the province’s big crop commissions and were asked to share their vision for their sectors in the next 10 years. More pulses, please Shane Strydhorst’s vision of a […] Read more
Sawyer new Alberta Barley chair
Reading Time: < 1 minute Tara Sawyer is the new chair of Alberta Barley, succeeding Dave Bishop. The Acme-area producer is serving her second year as a director-at-large while Wade McAllister of Innisfail starts his second year as vice-chair. “Our organization has made significant strides in the last year, including the finalization of two new barley-breeding agreements that will ensure […] Read more

Weevil and plot trial lessons from the past year
Results from the 2020 pea leaf weevil survey and the Plot2Farm trials are now available
Reading Time: 2 minutes Producers in the area around Edmonton as well as in southern Alberta may be at greater risk of seeing pea leaf weevils this spring. In a recent blog post on the Alberta Pulse Growers website, provincial insect survey technologist Shelley Barkley provided a summary of the annual survey for the pest. The survey, taken in […] Read more

Grain demand strong within Canada
Reading Time: < 1 minute Grain exports are off to a stellar start this crop year, but things are good on the home front, too, says provincial crop market analyst Neil Blue. Canadian Grain Commission data as of mid-November shows canola exports were up 34 per cent, non-durum wheat up 27 per cent, peas up 24 per cent and lentils […] Read more

Feed weekly outlook: Barley market cools ahead of New Year
More strength is still likely, however
MarketsFarm — The feed market in Western Canada may be stabilizing heading into the holiday season, but underlying fundamentals remain supportive and could lead to more strength in the New Year. While the market was holding steady in mid-December, “I think it will go back up in January/February/March,” said Mike Fleischhauer of Eagle Commodities in […] Read more

Farmer input sought for new grain code of practice
Consultations on the new voluntary program start in January, with a rollout planned for spring
Reading Time: 3 minutes Grain farmers are being asked for their views on a new code of practice being created by a coalition of farm groups and industry associations. Consultations begin next month on the proposed code, which covers practices such as fertilizer and pesticide use, and management of soil and water. “The intent of the voluntary code of […] Read more

Australia to appeal at WTO over China’s barley tariffs
China in May imposed tariffs totalling 80.5 per cent
Sydney | Reuters — Australia will launch a formal appeal to the World Trade Organization (WTO) later on Wednesday seeking a review of China’s decision to impose hefty tariffs on imports of Australian barley, Minister for Trade Simon Birmingham said. Acknowledging the appeal may take years to be resolved, Birmingham told reporters Australia would also […] Read more