(Dave Bedard photo)

Attention turns to yield potential after StatsCan report

Future tweaks to acreage numbers seen as unlikely to sway markets

MarketsFarm — Updated acreage estimates from Statistics Canada came largely within market expectations, with the focus now shifting to growing conditions and yield potential. The survey was completed in early June “and may not have captured all of the seeding delays and potential shifts that may have happened in central/northern Alberta and northwestern Saskatchewan because […] Read more

File photo of an Alberta wheat field. (ImagineGolf/E+/Getty Images)

StatsCan survey shows bump up in wheat acres, particularly durum

Farmers back off canola, soybeans; pandemic expected to cause other problems for ag

Ottawa | Reuters — Canadian farmers planted slightly more wheat overall in 2020 than in 2019, but the coronavirus outbreak will pose “unique challenges” in the production and distribution of crops, Statistics Canada said on Monday. Farmers planted 25 million acres of wheat, up 1.5 per cent from 2019, thanks in part to a 16.2 […] Read more


(Photo courtesy Canola Council of Canada)

Canola area expected to be lower in Monday’s StatsCan report

Later-seeded areas expected to add pulse, barley, durum acres

MarketsFarm — Market participants generally expect canola acreage will be revised downward in a second acreage estimate due out Monday from Statistics Canada. “There’s a lot of uncertainty about canola acres,” Ken Ball of P.I. International in Winnipeg said, noting acreage was “definitely lost” in central and northern Alberta due to wet spring conditions. In […] Read more

(Dave Bedard photo)

Little change seen in June’s crop supply/demand tables

MarketsFarm — Supply/demand estimates for Canada’s major crops saw little change in updated tables released Tuesday from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. Acreage estimates from Statistics Canada are due out June 30, and should lead to more sizeable adjustments in subsequent reports. Canola ending stocks were left unchanged at 2.6 million tonnes for the current marketing […] Read more



Cigi staff evaluate wheat flour for use in oriental noodles. (Cigi photo)

‘New’ Cereals Canada names board, chair

The merged Cereals Canada/Cigi unit held its first annual meeting

Alberta farmer Todd Hames was elected Monday as the chair of the board for the recently reconstituted Cereals Canada, at its first-ever annual meeting. The ‘new’ Cereals Canada was created June 1 when it and the Canadian International Grains Institute (Cigi) amalgamated after two years of discussions and the approval of their respective boards April […] Read more


Barley. (Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Feed weekly outlook: Lower stocks support grain prices

Corn still 'competitively' priced

MarketsFarm — Feed grain prices in Western Canada have been strong lately, as old-crop supplies reach seasonal lows. “We’re getting to the bottom of old-crop stocks,” said Allen Pirness of Market Place Commodities in Lethbridge. However, he noted, growing conditions on the Prairies have been favourable, with no indication of a “drought-induced early harvest.” Old-crop […] Read more

File photo of a river container terminal facility at Liverpool, England. (DavidCPhotography/iStock/Getty Images)

U.K. aims to join Trans-Pacific Partnership

London | Reuters –– The United Kingdom announced on Wednesday it would pursue accession to a revamped version of the Trans-Pacific Partnership. “Today we’re announcing our intent to pursue accession to CPTPP, one of the world’s largest free trading areas,” Trade Secretary Liz Truss said. The British government said joining CPTPP would help the U.K. […] Read more


Fusarium rule change applauded

Fusarium rule change applauded

Reading Time: < 1 minute Cereal and seed organizations are hailing the province’s decision to remove fusarium graminearum from the Pest Nuisance Control Regulation of the Agricultural Pests Act. “This news has been a long time coming,” said Alberta Wheat chair Todd Hames. “FHB (fusarium head blight) is well established in Alberta and since it’s spread through airborne spores, we […] Read more

A stem infected by root rot shows signs of shredding, shattering and the development of a sclerotial body. The central cavity (pith tissue) has been destroyed, which is characteristic of stem rot.

A mix of pests and diseases on the roster for #crop2020

Wheat midge, wheat stem sawfly, net blotch and other things to look out for

Reading Time: 4 minutes There are several diseases and pests farmers might want to keep an eye out for this growing season. “It’s kind of a hodgepodge this year,” said Jeremy Boychyn, agronomy research extension specialist with Alberta Barley and Alberta Wheat. The southern part of the province has had consistent issues with grasshoppers because it has been so […] Read more