ICE weekly outlook: Canola runs into headwind

CNS Canada — ICE Futures Canada canola contracts are running into major upside resistance from a chart standpoint, with a turn lower more likely than additional gains in the near term. “The demand component for canola remains quite strong, although domestic crush margins have diminished,” said Mike Jubinville of ProFarmer Canada. Soyoil futures at the […] Read more



Blackleg lives up to its name but unless it is severe, blackening at the base shouldn’t significantly affect yield.

You’ve got blackleg in your fields — whether you know it or not

Blackleg was confirmed in 90 per cent of Alberta fields last year and is likely in every field, says expert

Reading Time: 3 minutes You probably already have blackleg in your field. But you just don’t know it. “When we did our survey in 2016, we found blackleg in almost 90 per cent of the fields we looked at,” said Mike Harding, research scientist in plant pathology with Alberta Agriculture and Forestry. “If we looked harder, we probably could […] Read more



(Dave Bedard photo)

ICE weekly outlook: Canola pointed lower

CNS Canada — ICE Futures Canada canola contracts saw a bit of a corrective bounce on Wednesday but their overall trend remains pointed lower, with the winter highs possibly in for now, according to an analyst. “The technical and the fundamentals are pointing down,” said Errol Anderson of Pro Market Communications in Calgary, pointing to […] Read more

Snowed-in canola samples wanted

Snowed-in canola samples wanted

Reading Time: < 1 minute The Canadian Grain Commission needs samples of late-harvested or overwintered canola. The impact of snow on canola quality has not been studied and the commission wants to assess the impact of snowed-in and overwintered canola on the quality of the 2016 crop and assess its end-use functionality. This research will help ensure the Canadian canola […] Read more


Midge larvae inside a canola floret. Federal researchers have documented a new midge species in Prairie canola that differs significantly from the swede midge it was believed to be. (AAFC photo by Julie Soroka from CanolaWatch.org)

Anonymous midge appears in Prairie canola

Canola crops in northeastern Saskatchewan and east-central Alberta have run up against a potential pest problem so new it doesn’t yet have a name. Researchers with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, the University of Guelph and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency have reported a new species of midge damaging canola crops in those areas. The species […] Read more

Exporting poor-quality canola seed overseas is a risky proposition, but fortunately a lot of this year’s crop will be processed on the Prairies.

They’re crushing it! And that’s a good thing

Canola crushers are enjoying hefty margins, but that’s actually good news 
for farmers — especially given the poor-quality crop

Reading Time: 3 minutes Poor conditions at harvest have been good for Western Canada’s crushers, which are soaking up canola that would otherwise be hard to market. Weekly canola crush levels hit a record high of just over 200,000 tonnes the first week in January for the second time ever. While crush levels dipped the following week, the total […] Read more