A file photo of cargo ships and harbour cranes in the Ukrainian port of Kherson on the Dnieper River. (Ioanna_alexa/iStock/Getty Images)

Ukraine shuts ports as conflict threatens grain supplies

Moscow/Kyiv | Reuters — Ukraine’s military has suspended commercial shipping at its ports after Russian forces invaded the country, an adviser to the Ukrainian president’s chief of staff said, stoking fear of supply disruption from leading grain and oilseeds exporters. Russia earlier ordered the Azov Sea closed to the movement of commercial vessels until further […] Read more

(Dave Bedard photo)

Saskatchewan forage rainfall insurance to adjust for hot spells

SCIC also expanding crop roster for contract price option

Saskatchewan forage and corn growers whose crops are insured against below-normal rainfall can expect a beneficial bump starting this year if those crops get cooked in high heat. The Saskatchewan and federal governments on Tuesday announced details for their 2022 crop insurance program — under which average coverage is expected to reach $405 per acre, […] Read more


File photo of a pea crop south of Ethelton, Sask. on Aug. 1, 2019. (Dave Bedard photo)

Pulse weekly outlook: Four factors to consider before going with peas

MarketsFarm — There are four factors to consider before deciding whether to plant dry peas this spring, according to Darryl Domitruk, executive director of Manitoba Pulse and Soybean Growers at Carman, Man. The first is field selection, as peas need to be planted with less residuals such as nitrates, Domitruk said. “Pulses manufacture their own […] Read more

The opportunity for Alberta producers to profit from the plant-protein boom is partly tied to having local processors of crops such as field peas. Lovingly Made Ingredients is planning to add two more production lines at its Calgary facility by the end of the year and ramp up production of plant protein to more than 6,000 tonnes annually.

Calgary protein ingredient maker already set to expand

Lovingly Made Ingredients expansion means more sales for Alberta farmers growing peas and other crops

Reading Time: 4 minutes The plant-protein boom is starting to pay dividends for Alberta growers. Less than a year after opening its doors, the province’s biggest plant-protein processor is already eyeing an expansion of its Calgary facility. “We have a piece of technology in Europe that we’re looking to bring to Alberta this year, and that would give us […] Read more



(Dave Bedard photo)

CP conductors, engineers taking strike vote

Teamster-led workers' deal expired at end of 2021

Unionized conductors, engineers, trainmen and yardmen for Canadian Pacific Railway are getting their ballots for a strike vote this month, as contract talks have again wound up in dispute. The Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC), which represents about 3,000 CP employees in those categories, said strike ballots were being distributed to members starting Feb. 1, […] Read more


A sign of spring: New Blue Book is now on sale

A sign of spring: New Blue Book is now on sale

Reading Time: < 1 minute The 2022 edition of the Blue Book is now on sale. Alberta’s wheat, barley, canola and pulse commissions, which took over the popular publication last year from the provincial Ag Ministry, are adding new features. “Along with annual updates to crop protection products and information, enhancements to the 2021 Blue Book included a revised sprayer […] Read more

A 2018 aerial view of Pipeline Foods’ grain elevator at Gull Lake in southwestern Saskatchewan. (Pipeline Foods video screengrab via YouTube)

Bankrupt organic firm’s Prairie growers to be paid

CGC to issue compensation

Over four dozen Prairie grain growers who supplied a Minneapolis firm specializing in organic and non-GMO grains will get paid in full, the Canadian Grain Commission says. The CGC on Tuesday announced the results of its review of producer claims in the wake of last July’s bankruptcy filing by Pipeline Foods, whose footprint in Canada […] Read more


Greenleaf Foods, a subsidiary of meat processor Maple Leaf Foods, last month began providing its plant-based Lightlife Chick’n Tenders to convenience chain 7-Eleven in Canada. (Dave Bedard photo)

ADM releases alternative protein outlook for 2022

MarketsFarm — Major U.S. agribusiness ADM released a report Tuesday identifying the seven biggest trends in the alternative protein market, ranging from creating new protein sources from fungi to making plant-based meat substitutes more affordable and palatable to the general public. The seven trends in the report were: introduction of novel protein sources, using microbial […] Read more

(Dave Bedard photo)

StatsCan confirms tight grain and oilseed stocks

Canadian corn stocks up on year

MarketsFarm — Canada’s tight supplies of canola, wheat and other crops following the 2021 Prairie drought received more confirmation from Statistics Canada with the release of updated stocks data on Tuesday. Canola stocks, as of Dec. 31, 2021, of 7.6 million tonnes were down 43 per cent from the previous year and the tightest since […] Read more