(Dave Bedard photo)

Next StatsCan survey expected to show larger canola, wheat crops

CNS Canada — Yields are generally beating earlier expectations as the harvest progresses across Western Canada, which should lead to upward revisions to canola and wheat when Statistics Canada releases its latest production survey results Friday. However, those numbers still may be underreported, and further revisions are expected in subsequent reports. “As the harvest is […] Read more

(Doug Wilson photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

Talks halt on sale of malt barley trader Interbrau

Paris | Reuters –– Swiss grain trading group Ameropa said Monday it would not go ahead with the sale of German malting barley trader Interbrau GmbH to French co-operative group Vivescia, as conditions for the deal had not been met. The companies entered into an agreement in mid-July for the takeover of Interbrau by Vivescia, […] Read more


(Canada Beef Inc. photo)

Iran cancels import duties on wheat, barley

Dubai/Moscow | Reuters — Iran has canceled import duties it imposed on wheat and barley in July, according to an official document seen by Reuters on Tuesday. The document said the import duties ended on Sept. 6 for wheat and on Aug. 22 for barley. It gave no reason for the cancellation. The Iranian government […] Read more

The Svalbard Global Seed Vault, built in Norway in 2008, is the world’s largest secure seed storage site. (Matthias Heyde photo courtesy Government of Norway via Flickr)

Syrian war spurs first withdrawal from doomsday seed vault

Oslo | Reuters –– Syria’s civil war has prompted the first withdrawal of seeds from a “doomsday” vault built in an Arctic mountainside to safeguard global food supplies, officials said Monday. The seeds, including samples of wheat, barley and grasses suited to dry regions, have been requested by researchers elsewhere in the Middle East to […] Read more


AB InBev’s operations include Alexander Keith’s maker, Halifax-based Oland Breweries, which became part of Labatt in 1971. (Keiths.ca)

Labatt owner AB InBev seeks US$275B tie-up with SABMiller

Brussels/London | Reuters — Anheuser-Busch InBev, the world’s largest brewer, has approached rival SABMiller about a takeover that would form a colossus producing a third of the world’s beer. A merged group would have a market value of around US$275 billion (C$363 billion) at current prices, and would combine AB InBev’s dominance of Latin America […] Read more

(Rahr.com)

Malt barley prices strong despite ongoing harvest

CNS Canada — Commodity prices typically buckle under harvest pressure, but malt barley has been acting as the shining star of cash markets. Influencers within Canada and globally have contributed to the climb, according to one industry expert. Cash prices for delivered elevator malt barley range between $5.25 and $5.75 per bushel, according to Prairie […] Read more


(Doug Wilson photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

Feed barley looking bearish

CNS Canada –– Seasonal harvest pressure is starting to weigh on feed grains in Western Canada, while quality downgrades to crops still on the field may put further pressure on values going forward. “There are quite a few bearish indicators out there,” said Kyle Sinclair, of CorNine Commodities at Lacombe, Alta. For starters, early yield […] Read more



(Canada Beef Inc. photo)

Barley’s genome now two-thirds sequenced

A team led by scientists at the University of California, Riverside says it has reached a new milestone in its work on sequencing the barley genome. In a release Tuesday, the researchers said they have sequenced large portions of the genome that together contain nearly two-thirds of all barley genes. Because barley is a close relative […] Read more

(Canada Beef Inc. photo)

Short-term barley prices seen likely to downtrend

CNS Canada — Feed barley prices are moving slowly with hand-to-mouth buying as the crop moves into harvest, when already low prices will likely hit a downtrend. However, prices will likely recover into autumn, depending on how farmers choose to act, from where one market analyst sits. “If the farmers aren’t willing to sell at […] Read more