Photo: Greg Berg

Analysts expect additional acres for canola, wheat

StatCan estimates due out Wednesday

MarketsFarm — If traders and analysts are correct with their estimates, there will be slightly more wheat and canola acres seeded in Canada this year compared to 2022. Statistics Canada (StatCan) will release its first survey-based acreage estimates for the 2023-24 marketing year on April 26. Other than drier and cooler conditions in southern Manitoba, […] Read more

New funding for crop variety trials

New funding for crop variety trials

Reading Time: < 1 minute Results Driven Agriculture Research (RDAR), the Western Grains Research Foundation and the Alberta Oat Growers Commission have announced $782,400 in funding for Alberta Regional Variety Trials. RDAR’s contribution is for $582,300 over three years.  The trials are independently conducted on small test plots at multiple sites across Alberta. They compare the performance of newly registered […] Read more


(Dave Bedard photo)

AAFC revises crop estimates

Export, new-crop production outlooks revised lower for flax

MarketsFarm — Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) on Friday released its February supply and demand estimates with numerous small changes. AAFC held its projections for 2022-23 grains and oilseeds production at 89.489 million tonnes. As for exports, the department reduced them from 45.715 million tonnes last month to now 45.49 million. Furthermore, domestic usage was […] Read more



AB Cattlelac barley

Will there be any new varieties in your line-up this year?

Reading Time: 6 minutes New varieties often promise higher yields, more robust resistance, better standability and other benefits. But there can also be trade-offs. “Sometimes a new variety comes out and maybe the yield is better, but did you lose anything with that variety, whether it’s protein or maturity?” asked Greg Stamp of Stamp Seeds in Enchant. “And then […] Read more

(Flax Council of Canada photo)

Flax Council of Canada seeks new chief

Wayne Thompson moving to WGRF

Canada’s national market development organization for flax and flax products is officially in the market for a chief executive. The Flax Council of Canada said Tuesday its search for a new president is underway, after Wayne Thompson announced in August he has left the position to become executive director of the Western Grains Research Foundation […] Read more


(Dave Bedard photo)

SaskCanola, SaskFlax merge offices, management

Groups will maintain separate governing boards, levies

Sasskatchewan’s canola and flax development commissions are consolidating their management, staff and office space under one roof. SaskCanola and SaskFlax said Wednesday their new “management collaboration” will translate to efficiencies for both commissions with “a full staff complement to support both boards.” Both organizations will now operate out of the current SaskCanola office at Innovation […] Read more

Stubble in crop rotations might surprise you

Stubble in crop rotations might surprise you

Reading Time: < 1 minute A new tool from Alberta Wheat and Alberta Barley can help producers with rotation planning. The tool, a table that uses 10 years’ worth of AFSC crop data, “provides a breakdown of the average percent yield of certain crops when seeded into specific crop stubble.” The table, which has 12 crops (six cereals, three pulses, […] Read more


(Dave Bedard photo)

AAFC raises canola stocks projection, despite smaller crop

Department also trims wheat ending stocks

MarketsFarm — Canadian canola ending stocks for 2022-23 were revised higher by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in its latest supply/demand estimates, released Friday. The larger carryout projection came despite a downward revision to production, as both exports and domestic usage were also down from the November report. The government agency now sees canola carryout of […] Read more

(Dave Bedard photo)

StatCan data show smaller Canadian canola, durum production

Report also logs more barley, oats than previous estimates

MarketsFarm — Canadian farmers grew less canola and durum than originally thought in 2022, but more barley and oats, according to updated production estimates from Statistics Canada released Friday. “There were both bullish and bearish surprises,” MarketsFarm Pro analyst Mike Jubinville said. While canola production of 18.174 million tonnes was still up considerably from the […] Read more