A rainy day on July 18, 2023 at the Ag in Motion outdoor farm show at Langham, Sask., west of Saskatoon. (Ag in Motion via Twitter)

Prairie Forecast: Summer heat to build back in

Issued July 19, covering July 19 to 26

It looks like the overall weather pattern is going to undergo another shift. After nearly two weeks of unseasonably cool and unsettled weather over the eastern half of the Prairies, with near-average conditions over the west, it looks like more typically summer weather will move back in. The massive area of low pressure that spun […] Read more

Attendees weren’t complaining about the road conditions at Ag in Motion. (Western Producer photo by Alex McCuaig)

At Ag in Motion: Exhibitors ready after rainy first day

Wednesday typically AiM's most popular day

The sun is shining, exhibitors are ready and the grounds are prepared for a traditionally-busy second day of the Ag in Motion show near Langham, Sask. Opening day saw the clouds roll in and the skies open up, but few were complaining about the much-needed moisture that rolled through much of Western Canada on Tuesday. […] Read more


(Medioimages/Photodisc/Getty Images)

U.S. grains: wheat sees biggest jump since aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

Soybean futures have risen for five sessions in a row

Chicago | Reuters U.S. wheat futures jumped 8.5% on Wednesday, their biggest daily gain since days after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, as intensification of the war threatened to slow grain export shipments from a major global supplier. The benchmark Chicago Board of Trade soft red winter wheat contract Wv1 briefly touched its daily trading limit […] Read more

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At Ag in Motion: New ‘Soil Champions’ team to promote soil health

'Societies live and die by soil'

A new group of “Soil Champions” has been formed to promote the benefits of soil health. This new committee — announced Wednesday at the Ag in Motion farm show at Langham, Sask. — will work to ensure the care and protection of Canada’s agricultural soil through education, knowledge transfer, forums for collaboration and other activities. […] Read more


Regan Ferguson tells of her experience using data on the farm near Melfort at Ag In Motion. (Jeff Melchior photo)

At Ag in Motion: Find a purpose, then buy tech, Prairie grower says

No matter how cutting-edge, digital ag needs to be a fit on your farm

Investing in digital agriculture can be a daunting experience. A producer’s best bet, one northeastern Saskatchewan farmer says, is to do your homework and find a purpose for it on your farm. “You have got to have the root purpose of why you got that technology. Either that or you talk to others to help […] Read more

Liberia-flagged bulker K Sukret, carrying grain under the Black Sea Grain Initiative, waits for inspection in the southern anchorage of Istanbul on May 17, 2023. (Photo: Reuters/Mehmet Emin Caliskan)

Insurers seen reviewing Black Sea ship cover after Russia quits deal

Last ship covered under deal left Sunday

London | Reuters — Insurers are reviewing whether to freeze cover for any ships willing to sail to Ukraine after Russia on Monday quit a UN-backed deal that allows the export of grain through a wartime Black Sea safe corridor, industry sources said. The agreement, brokered by Turkey last July, aimed to alleviate a global […] Read more


Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (r) and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol attend a joint statement in Kyiv on July 15, 2023. Photo: Reuters/Valentyn Ogirenko

Grain shipping deal can operate without Russia, Zelenskyy says

'Blackmail is not allowed for anyone'

Kyiv | Reuters — The Black Sea grain shipment deal must continue and could operate without Russian participation after Moscow’s withdrawal on Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. Ukraine, Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address, was a food source for 400 million people. “Africa has the right to stability. Asia has the right to […] Read more

CBOT September 2023 soft red winter wheat with Bollinger bands (20,2), MGEX September 2023 hard red spring wheat (yellow line) and K.C. September 2023 hard red winter wheat (orange line). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Wheat, corn fall as Black Sea grain deal expires

Grain traders hope pact may still be renewed

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. grain futures fell on Monday as Russia’s exit from the Black Sea export deal failed to shock traders. Wheat and corn futures slumped after earlier rising to two-week highs when Russia announced it was leaving the agreement that lets Ukraine export grain through the Black Sea. Russia had long threatened […] Read more


Vessels are seen as they await inspection under the Black Sea Grain Initiative, brokered by the UN and Turkey, in the southern anchorage of the Bosphorus at Istanbul on Dec. 11, 2022. (File photo: Reuters/Yoruk Isik)

UN waits for Russian answer as Black Sea deal deadline looms

U.S. says Russia using grain deal 'as a weapon'

United Nations | Reuters — UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is still waiting for a response from Russian President Vladimir Putin on a proposal to extend a deal allowing the safe Black Sea export of Ukraine grain beyond Monday, a U.N. spokesperson said on Friday. Guterres wrote to Putin on Tuesday asking him to extend the […] Read more

CBOT September 2023 soft red winter wheat with 20-day moving average, MGEX September 2023 hard red spring wheat (yellow line) and K.C. September 2023 hard red winter wheat (orange line). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Wheat, corn rise as Ukraine shipping deal set to end

Soybeans mixed on profit-taking, supply questions

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat futures rose on Friday as drought conditions in Canada and the northern Plains continue to weigh on the market, as does uncertainty over the future of Ukraine’s wartime grain export shipping deal that is set to expire on Monday. Corn followed wheat up on yield concerns and technical trading. […] Read more