CNS Canada — Canadian farmers are sitting on a very large wheat crop this year, but the moisture that helped boost yields also caused disease issues and supplies of higher-quality wheat may still be in short supply. While the spring wheat harvest is just getting started and it’s hard to get a firm handle on […] Read more
Quality still a question for Canada’s big wheat crop
Egypt’s wheat corruption scandal takes down supply minister
Cairo/Abu Dhabi | Reuters — Egypt’s Minister of Supply Khaled Hanafi has resigned amid the highest-profile corruption case since President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi came to power in 2014. Hanafi’s resignation is the most senior-level fallout from a probe into whether millions of dollars intended to subsidize farmers were used to purchase wheat that did not […] Read more
Craft beer boom drives demand for new malt barley varieties
It’s all about consistency and efficiency for the big brewers, but the small guys want unique taste and also use more malt per batch
Reading Time: 4 minutes New malt barley varieties will soon hit the market to meet the growing demands of a burgeoning craft brewing industry. “The brewing and malting industry is changing,” said Pat Juskiw, a barley breeder with Alberta Agriculture and Forestry. “In the past, our industry has been composed of big companies — the Molsons, the Labatts, the […] Read more
Ardent’s organic wheat program expands to Saskatchewan
U.S. flour processor Ardent Mills’ plan to double organic wheat acres in the U.S. by 2019 has rolled into Saskatchewan. Ardent, the joint North American flour venture of agrifood firms Cargill, CHS Inc. and ConAgra, said Wednesday it has so far expanded “Organic Initiative 2019,” which it launched in December, to seven U.S. states plus […] Read more
Egypt public prosecutor orders 13 arrested in wheat corruption case
Cairo | Reuters — Egypt’s public prosecutor has ordered the arrest of 13 people for 15 days pending an investigation into their role in a wheat procurement corruption scandal, judicial sources said on Saturday. Egypt, the world’s largest wheat importer, has been mired in controversy over its wheat supplies, with industry officials claiming that over […] Read more
Changes to wheat classes could hit you in the pocketbook
The Big Shuffle: The bar has been raised for the CPS and CWRS classes, which means some old favourites may sell at a discount
Reading Time: 4 minutes It turns out the customer is always right — at least when it comes to Canada’s wheat classification system. “Concerns from our overseas clients about gluten strength” has prompted a revamp of the wheat classification system, said Mark MacNaughton, director of field crops for Alberta Agriculture and Forestry. “The Canadian Grain Commission has changed the […] Read more
More durum may come to those who wait
CNS Canada –– Cool, wet weather may have slowed crop development and delayed harvest, but durum is determined to be worth the wait with above-average yields. “We’re looking at some fairly high yields given the early estimates… average yields should come in at 47.5 to 48 bushels per acre this year,” said Jerry Klassen, manager […] Read more
New tool could speed up crop breeding
Reading Time: < 1 minute Alberta’s barley breeders now have access to both phenomic (field trial) and genomic data in one place. “The phenomic data is in the hands of the breeder, but the genomic data is generated through lab work,” said provincial researcher and biostatistician Rong-Cai Yang, who developed a new software program called the Barley Breeding Platform (BBP). “Usually […] Read more
Oats face numerous pre-harvest question marks
CNS Canada — Oat producers are playing the waiting game when it comes to one of the most important things for oat crops: quality. “There’s always a concern about quality and you never know where that is going to be until harvest,” said Art Enns, president of the Prairie Oat Growers Association at Morris in […] Read more
Egyptian prosecutor says millions in local wheat falsely claimed
Cairo | Reuters –– Egypt’s general prosecutor said on Sunday that local wheat suppliers worked with government employees to falsely claim 621 million Egyptian pounds (C$92.5 million) worth of grain that does not exist. Egypt has been embroiled in a controversy over its local wheat supplies, with grains industry officials claiming that over two million […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
