Reading Time: 4 minutes Chris Chivilo was nearly ready to break ground on a brand new pulse fractioning plant in Bowden when the bottom fell out of the market. “Two and a half years ago, we got very close, and then the pulse market went to hell,” said Chivilo, president of W.A. Grain and Pulse Solutions. “So we put […] Read more
Prairie pulse processing still in next-year country
But that could change as ‘supercluster’ hands out first $40 million to spur processing on the Prairies
Warm, dry weather advances seeding; crop emergence in early stages
Alberta Crop Report: Conditions as of May 14, 2019
Reading Time: 3 minutes The warm dry weather has attributed to substantial seeding progress provincially. Last week’s average on all crops was slightly above 16 per cent while this week’s numbers for major crops is 42 per cent complete, which is sizably higher than the five year average of 25. Across Alberta, 72 per cent of peas are in […] Read more
Pulse weekly outlook: Planted green, yellow peas lower prices
MarketsFarm — Green and yellow pea seeding is well underway across the Prairies, causing new-crop prices to slide marginally while spot prices hold firm. As Dale McManus, a broker with Johnston Grain at Welwyn, Sask., explained, seeded acres and new crop prices have an inverse relationship: as seeded acres rise, new crop prices fall. Producers […] Read more
There’s a time of year when it pays to go looking for a fight
To combat the hordes of bad guys looking for a free meal, you need to plan your attack
Reading Time: 3 minutes Looking for trouble? You should be when it comes to insects that might be a threat to your crops. The “big three” this year are bertha army worm, grasshoppers, and wheat stem sawfly, says provincial pest specialist Scott Meers. But it depends where you farm, so Meers recommends you bookmark the website of the Alberta […] Read more
Pulse weekly outlook: Pulses steady in sea of uncertainty
MarketsFarm — Every spring offers its own mystery of what the growing season will bring, and this year is no different for western Canadian pulse markets. However, while the unknowns are usually linked to the weather or acreage ideas, this year also presents extra challenges for the pulse sector. India remains a major wildcard in […] Read more
Cereal crops to grab more Alberta real estate
Reading Time: < 1 minute Alberta farmers are at the head of the pack in reducing canola acres, according to Statistics Canada’s latest survey. Canola acres are forecast to drop 6.6 per cent nationally, but producers here plan to cut seedings by 10.6 per cent (to 6.09 million acres versus 6.81 million a year ago), says StatsCan. While total wheat […] Read more
Report shows record-large canola stocks at end of March
MarketsFarm — Canada’s canola supplies of just over 10 million tonnes as of March 31 marked a new record for the date, according to Tuesday’s stocks of principal field crops report from Statistics Canada. The government agency pegged canola supplies in the country at the end of March at 10.019 million tonnes, up by 10.5 […] Read more
Canada promises farm aid amid China canola spat
Ottawa/Winnipeg | Reuters — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Tuesday said Ottawa would soon announce help for canola farmers hurt by a China ban on imports of the oilseed but brushed off calls to pull funding for a Chinese-led investment bank. China and Canada are locked in a diplomatic and trade dispute that has […] Read more
Canadian farm exports hit new Chinese obstacles amid diplomatic dispute
Winnipeg/Beijing | Reuters — An expanding list of Canadian farm exports is hitting obstacles at Chinese ports, leaving sellers of soybeans, peas and pork scrambling amid a bitter diplomatic dispute. China has already blocked Canadian canola from Richardson International and Viterra, two of Canada’s biggest farm exporters, saying that shipments had pests. Other China-bound canola […] Read more
StatsCan confirms smaller canola acres, more wheat
MarketsFarm — Canadian farmers intend to seed more spring wheat and less canola in 2019, according to Statistics Canada survey results released Wednesday. Additional shifts are also likely in subsequent reports, as dry conditions in southern Alberta and Saskatchewan may alter some intentions. Statistics Canada forecast canola area for 2019 at 21.3 million acres, which […] Read more