(Dave Bedard photo)

Ag department lowers crop production, export estimates

Expectations knocked down for most major Prairie crops

MarketsFarm — Canadian crop production will be down significantly in the 2021-22 marketing year, cutting into exports for all of the country’s major grains, oilseeds and pulse crops. That’s the estimation from the latest supply/demand estimates from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), released Thursday. Total field crop production for all crops is forecast to decrease […] Read more

CBOT December 2021 oats (candlesticks) with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages (yellow, brown and black lines). (Barchart)

CBOT weekly outlook: Factors worth watching

Oats showing recent strength

MarketsFarm — Choppiness in Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) soyoil, a potential increase in corn prices and an upcoming production report from Statistics Canada are factors on which grains analyst Terry Reilly suggests keeping an eye. Soyoil has been hit by early reports that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency was going to recommend to the […] Read more



Bart Lardner.

Know what you’ve got is the golden rule when feed is short

Nitrate levels are higher in drought-stressed crops, so testing feed is an absolute must

Reading Time: 4 minutes Testing your feed should top your to-do list this fall and winter. “Get that crop tested,” said Bart Lardner, a University of Saskatchewan professor who holds a research chair in cow-calf and forage systems. “Know what you’re starting with and know what you’re dealing with in terms of energy density, protein density, and anti-quality factors […] Read more





Crop quality greater in western Manitoba

MarketsFarm – While the western parts of Manitoba are seeing healthy crops, the eastern and Interlake regions aren’t so fortunate, according to Manitoba Agriculture and Resource Development. Crop ratings for both the southwest and northwest regions range from 50 to 75 per cent good to excellent, according to the province’s weekly crop report released on […] Read more

In normal times, farmers like John Guelly can look forward to a bountiful crop. The Westlock farmer hopes to have a crop after getting a much-needed inch of rain in mid-July but he fears for those who won’t have a harvest but have sold a portion of their crop.

Heatwave wreaks havoc on Alberta crops

Governments are rushing to help but fears are mounting as the crisis grows

Reading Time: 6 minutes July’s devastating heatwave has destroyed crops and pastures across Alberta, leaving producers in all corners of the province wondering what their options are at this point of the growing season. “It’s been pretty hard,” said Valerie Ehrenholz, who runs a mixed operation near Barrhead with her father. “I haven’t been farming that long — the […] Read more


CBOT December 2021 oats (candlesticks) with Bollinger bands (20,2). (Barchart)

Oat crop across Western Canada ‘not stellar’

MarketsFarm — As with most other crops on the Prairies, conditions are “not stellar” for oats, according to Shawna Mathieson, executive director for the Prairie Oat Growers Association. POGA directors from across the region who participated in a recent board meeting had a rather grim outlook on the coming harvest, she said. “Not a single […] Read more

Canola south of Ethelton, Sask. on Aug. 3, 2017. (Dave Bedard photo)

Canada’s canola acres up from earlier forecast

Wheat acres up; barley, oats, corn revised lower

MarketsFarm –– Canadian farmers seeded more canola in 2021 than originally intended, with a number of other crops also seeing adjustments higher as dry weather through the planting season allowed for a fast seeding pace. In its June estimates of principal field crop areas, released Tuesday, Statistics Canada pegged total canola planted area at 22.5 […] Read more