(File photo by Dave Bedard)

Railways overshoot grain revenue limits for 2019-20

Grain revenues run $5.3 million over caps, CTA rules

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

Scenes like this one from last year’s Prairie Cereals Summit used to be normal but with in-person meetings cancelled because of the pandemic, discussions on merging Alberta Wheat and Alberta Barley have been drawn out.

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


(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

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

“If we do it right, agriculture is going to lead the economy in Canada.” – Roger Chevraux.

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

Pea leaf weevil can be a problem anywhere in Alberta, but a survey done this year only found significant numbers in the south and in the Edmonton area.

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

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

(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

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


“We want consumers to feel really good about purchasing anything that includes Canadian grain.” – Adam Dyck.

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

(File photo)

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