Reading Time: 5 minutes A real-world test of nitrogen-fixing bacteria conducted in Alberta was a bust when it came to boosting yields, but no one is throwing in the towel yet. “It’s too early to tell. You can’t base anything off one year worth of trial data,” said Erek Bishop, a participant in one of four trials of Utrisha […] Read more
Search for the holy grail of N fertilizer continues
You can now buy nitrogen-fixing bacteria for your crops but when it comes to wheat, the jury is out
Chequebook will get a workout, but a good year expected
Economist predicts a five per cent rise in input costs, but says commodity prices should stay high
Reading Time: 3 minutes Think the 2022 crop was the most expensive ever put into the ground? This year might give it a run for its money. The good news, such as it is, is that input costs are no longer shooting up as fast as they did last year. “For 2023 we’re expecting an increase (in fertilizer prices) […] Read more
Alberta canola growers have a big new customer in their backyard
Imperial Oil’s new facility near Edmonton will produce one billion litres of renewable biodiesel annually
Reading Time: 2 minutes Imperial Oil has started construction of what will be the country’s largest renewable diesel facility and a major new customer for Alberta canola farmers. With an ever-increasing amount of canola being crushed domestically, Imperial is moving quickly to secure feedstocks such as canola for its new facility at its Strathcona refinery near Edmonton, said a […] Read more
China top destination for Canadian grains, oilseeds
CGC data points to key destinations
MarketsFarm — China is the top destination for Canadian grain and oilseed exports through the first five months of the 2022-23 marketing year, accounting for roughly a third of the total movement, according to the latest monthly report from the Canadian Grain Commission. Canada has exported 6.566 million tonnes of grains, oilseeds, and pulses to […] Read more
ICE weekly outlook: Choppy trading for canola, other oilseeds
Signals not pointing to course change for now
MarketsFarm — Expect canola and other oilseed markets to remain choppy for the time being, according to trader Ken Ball of PI Financial in Winnipeg. “All of the markets are very choppy and erratic. They’re very nervous markets,” Ball emphasized, noting war in Ukraine and drought in Argentina are having some of the biggest impacts […] Read more
Spec short position grows in canola
Managed money net long in soy, corn
MarketsFarm — Speculators were busy adding to their growing net short position in canola during the week ended Jan. 24, according to the latest Commitments of Traders (CoT) report compiled by the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). The net managed money short position in ICE Futures canola came in at 32,625 contracts on Jan. […] Read more
Farmers and field trips provide something textbooks can’t offer
Reading Time: 3 minutes Linda Gorim’s goal for her agronomy students is to give them a hands-on experience. “My goal is to get them dirty, and I get them really dirty,” said Gorim, an assistant professor at the University of Alberta and the Western Grains Research Foundation chair in cropping systems. Her field crop agronomy course was created to […] Read more
Imperial Oil clears Edmonton renewable diesel plant for construction
Quick decision motivated in part by need for feedstocks such as canola oil, company says
Reuters — Imperial Oil on Thursday announced approval for an investment of $720 million to build Canada’s largest renewable diesel facility at its Strathcona refinery near Edmonton. The Calgary-based company said the facility will produce 20,000 barrels per day of renewable diesel and is expected to start production in 2025. Imperial expects regulatory approval for […] Read more
Feed weekly outlook: Barley, wheat prices continue downward
Oats, canola meal also bound for feedlots
MarketsFarm — As colder temperatures descend onto the Prairies, buying activity for feed barley and wheat was just as frigid. “A lot of guys are fairly caught up with purchasing,” said Mike Fleischhauer of Eagle Commodities Inc. in Lethbridge. “You see the prices of wheat and barley start to trickle down a little bit. Corn’s […] Read more
ICE weekly outlook: Canola trading window lowered
A crude oil downturn would pressure canola, loonie
MarketsFarm — The ICE Futures canola market posted steady losses for five sessions, testing the lower edge of their well-established trading ranges before finally uncovering some support on Wednesday. The losses did damage from a chart perspective, with the activity bumping the trading window lower, according to an analyst. “Overall, both on old- and new-crop, […] Read more
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