CNS Canada –– ICE Futures Canada canola contracts moved higher during the week ended Wednesday, as traders began to position themselves in anticipation of a U.S. report due out Aug. 12. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) report “is certainly a factor” in the direction of canola, said Keith […] Read more

ICE weekly outlook: Canola rises ahead of USDA report

Manitoba rust diseases dissipate as fusarium appears
CNS Canada –– The spread of leaf and stripe rust in southern Manitoba appears to be over. The diseases, which generally target cereal crops, were thought to have blown up from the northern U.S. in late spring. Fields near Carman and Killarney both tested positive for rust in winter and spring wheat. Recent warm weather, […] Read more

Lethbridge feed barley prices move upward, watch U.S. corn
CNS Canada — Hot, dry conditions in Alberta and western Saskatchewan are delaying and stressing this year’s barley crop — but action in U.S. corn is now the barley market’s primary driver, according to one expert. “This recent rally in corn has helped barley and feed wheat move higher; we’re in a market driven by […] Read more

Parched Prairie forages hang in under stress
CNS Canada — Sporadic rains and prolonged periods of dryness are taking their toll on forage crops in Alberta and parts of Saskatchewan. According to Terry Kowalchuk, a forage crop specialist with Saskatchewan Agriculture in Regina, the eastern half of the province is managing, but the situation is worse in the province’s west. The western […] Read more

Drought creates speed bump for cattle herd expansion
CNS Canada — Expansion efforts in Canada’s cattle sector are likely taking a breather right now, as a lack of rain in Alberta and Saskatchewan creates challenges for ranchers trying to feed their animals. According to Anne Wasko of Gateway Livestock Inc. at Taber, Alta., some cattle in the western Prairies are already being moved […] Read more

CBOT weekly outlook: Choppy, two-sided trade ahead for corn, soy
CNS Canada — Chicago Board of Trade corn futures chalked up slight gains for the week ended Wednesday, while soybean futures posted steep losses on volatile trading. Sean Lusk, director of the commercial hedging division for Walsh Trading in Chicago, said there are growing worries about the quality of the corn crop due to excess […] Read more

Diesel prices seen softening soon
CNS Canada — Canadian diesel prices should go down between now and the end of the summer, according to a fuel expert. Since early May, the price of diesel across the Prairies has largely been in and around the 94-98 cents per litre range. Tom Kloza of the Oil Price Information Service reported prices on […] Read more

Sunflowers look good in field, flat in market
CNS Canada — While many Canadian crops are wishing for more rain right now, one expert sees sunflowers, primarily grown in Manitoba, doing relatively fine for moisture. “There’s no weather worries on sunflowers right now. A lot of the acres went in because it was forecasted to be a very dry summer, but it hasn’t […] Read more

Pea growers mull contract opportunities despite dry fields
CNS Canada –– The lack of rain in Western Canada is causing a few headaches for pea farmers, who don’t have a crop to call their own yet, but face Asian customers eager to get their hands on fresh supplies. While rain is on the wish list of most growers on the Prairies, the pea […] Read more
Rusts enter southern Manitoba from U.S.
CNS Canada — While fusarium head blight and wheat streak mosaic have already popped up in Manitoba fields, a new strain of disease is making its presence felt in the province’s south. Stripe rust and leaf rust appear to have blown in from the United States. Pam de Rocquigny of Manitoba’s agriculture department said the […] Read more