MarketsFarm — Lentil prices received a bit of a bump earlier in the year from peak pandemic panic-buying, but have subsided in recent weeks. “At the beginning, a lot of people were buying, which led to a spike in prices,” explained Marcos Mosnaim of Globeways Canada in Mississauga. “That scarcity has come down a lot.” […] Read more
Pulse weekly outlook: Lentil prices off pandemic peak
Bayer, Corteva among companies stepping off Facebook
Major firms pledge to pause advertising for July
A couple of major players in the agriculture sector are on an expanding list of major companies pausing advertising on Facebook for the month of July in pursuit of policy changes at the U.S.-based social media giant. Bayer and Corteva Agriscience recently announced they have joined the #stophateforprofit campaign, backed by organizations including the Anti-Defamation […] Read more
Solid grain exports continue through Thunder Bay
June's handle includes record-large CP grain train
MarketsFarm — Grain shipments through the Port of Thunder Bay continue to run at a strong pace, with season-to-date volumes of 3.2 million tonnes, up 35 per cent from the five-year average, according to an update from the port. A total of 866,066 tonnes of grain were shipped through the port, located on the northern […] Read more
WheatStalk in Fairview still a go for August
Reading Time: < 1 minute There won’t be as many people and pandemic protocols will be in place, but the WheatStalk field tour is going ahead. There are 40 spots available for each day of the Aug. 6-7 event in Fairview, which is hosted by the Alberta Wheat Commission and Peace Country Beef and Forage. Participants will be able to […] Read more
Research you can use on your farm this summer
Here are three examples of research that can save time, money, and headaches
Reading Time: 6 minutes Agriculture research can offer as much as a tenfold return on investment — but it doesn’t do farmers a whole lot of good gathering dust on a shelf somewhere. “I think that’s something we actually fail at in our current delivery system of research and extension,” said Ken Coles, general manager of Alberta-based Farming Smarter. […] Read more
Schoepp: Pandemic an opportunity to rethink food distribution
A highly centralized food system isn't the only option; there's a place for local, too
Reading Time: 3 minutes First- and second-fiscal-quarter earnings for those selling groceries exceeded expectations as consumers stocked up during the pandemic. From small specialty stores to supermarkets, all have reported excellent profits. The idea of centralized retail grocery is relatively recent and yet most societies, regardless of global address, can now relate to shopping at a supermarket. In North […] Read more
Brandt deal for Topcon distributor in Ontario falls through
GeoShack says will remain 'independently owned'
A proposal that would have made farm equipment maker Brandt the exclusive dealer for Topcon GPS equipment in Canada has fallen through without a sealed deal. GeoShack Canada, the “master dealer” for TopCon equipment in Ontario through its locations in Toronto, Ottawa and London, announced Tuesday that a completed acquisition by the Regina-based Brandt Group […] Read more
Food exporters sign safety declarations in lieu of virus-free guarantees
Reuters — U.S. food and feed exporters are shipping goods to China with letters assuring the safety of their cargo in lieu of official declarations requested by Chinese authorities that guarantee coronavirus-free shipments, a U.S. agricultural export group said on Friday. The commitment statements, drafted by the Agriculture Transportation Coalition (AgTC), are meant only to […] Read more
Attention turns to yield potential after StatsCan report
Future tweaks to acreage numbers seen as unlikely to sway markets
MarketsFarm — Updated acreage estimates from Statistics Canada came largely within market expectations, with the focus now shifting to growing conditions and yield potential. The survey was completed in early June “and may not have captured all of the seeding delays and potential shifts that may have happened in central/northern Alberta and northwestern Saskatchewan because […] Read more
StatsCan survey shows bump up in wheat acres, particularly durum
Farmers back off canola, soybeans; pandemic expected to cause other problems for ag
Ottawa | Reuters — Canadian farmers planted slightly more wheat overall in 2020 than in 2019, but the coronavirus outbreak will pose “unique challenges” in the production and distribution of crops, Statistics Canada said on Monday. Farmers planted 25 million acres of wheat, up 1.5 per cent from 2019, thanks in part to a 16.2 […] Read more
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