(Dave Bedard photo)

Flax prices likely to remain flat

MarketsFarm — Although autumn snowfall limited the quality of a lot of Prairie flax, its price has remained flat, according to Brian Johnson of Johnson Seeds at Arborg, Man. While Johnson has seen some instances of No. 1 flax, he said most of what he’s seen has graded Nos. 2 and 3. “The premiums are […] Read more

Fifty provincial agriculture ministry staff get layoff notices

Fifty provincial agriculture ministry staff get layoff notices

Many of those losing their jobs are scientists and their work greatly benefited farmers, says a retired researcher

Reading Time: 3 minutes In the second week of December, about 50 staff at Alberta Agriculture and Forestry got a pre-Christmas delivery no one would want — they were laid off. Details have not been released but among those affected are engineers, agrologists, and managers. “This is just another example of where they have taken some significant steps backwards,” […] Read more


Canola in swath near Starbuck, Man. on Aug. 10, 2019. (MarketsFarm photo by Glen Hallick)

StatsCan report puts canola production at lowest since 2015

MarketsFarm — Data from Statistics Canada’s production of principal field crops report, released Friday morning, will likely be supportive of canola values, put pressure on barley, and keep wheat prices steady. In the report, canola production across Canada decreased by 8.3 per cent nationally to 18.6 million tonnes, compared to 2018 production volumes. The decreased […] Read more

(Dave Bedard photo)

Trade’s crop estimates vary ahead of StatsCan report

MarketsFarm — Barley and canola production expectations vary ahead of Statistics Canada’s production of principal field crops report, due out Friday. In September, the federal agency estimated Canada’s barley production to total just less than 10 million tonnes, two million higher than the final count for the 2018-19 growing year. However, some trade estimates are […] Read more



Canola being harvested on Jim and Darlene Goodwin’s farm north of High River in late October. Almost everything was combined in southern Alberta before winter set in, but the yields were down because of dry conditions. Yields were better farther north but many fields were left unharvested because of rain and snow.

Alberta farmers grapple with a miserable harvest

There simply aren’t a lot of positives for many producers in the province

Reading Time: 5 minutes This year’s harvest was the season from hell for farmers across Alberta. Many will still be combining next spring, drying grain for weeks to come, and their marketing efforts will resemble a salvage operation. And while producers — particularly in central and northern regions — knew their crops were late in developing, Mother Nature did […] Read more


Alberta harvest continues, 11 per cent of crops remain

Alberta Crop Report: Conditions as of November 5

Reading Time: 6 minutes Following a cooler than normal growing season, September brought several wet spells, interspersed by two major dry spells, each lasting less than two weeks. In October, wet spells occurred more frequently, with the northern half of the province blanketed with a few cloudy days. Over the past month, all areas in the province experienced below […] Read more

Alberta producers battle for harvest progress

Alberta producers battle for harvest progress

Alberta Crop Report: Conditions as of October 29

Reading Time: 3 minutes One more week of harvesting between weather events, and another blast of winter this past weekend brought snow or rain to many areas in the west and north halting operations yet again. The strong winds that accompanied the cold front have scattered canola swaths and blown snow into and over top of swaths still left […] Read more



File photo of wheat under snow. (Ssvyat/iStock/Getty Images)

Some Saskatchewan crops may stay on fields over winter

A harvest season bereft of good weather will result in some crops staying in the field until springtime. The exact percentage of unharvested crops, however, remains uncertain. “Some of the heaviest snowfall has fallen in the regions where most of the crop was left out,” commented Todd Lewis, president of Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan. […] Read more