U.S. corn futures fell 2 per cent to a four-year low on Monday with all months notching contract lows as ideal weather in the heart of the Midwest signaled a bumper harvest, traders said. Soybeans were also sharply lower, with wheat following suit. At the Chicago Board of Trade at 12:05 p.m. CDT (1705 GMT), […] Read more
GRAINS: U.S. corn drops to four-year low as weather stays favourable
Recent dry weather slows stripe rust spread
Producers are encouraged to monitor for the presence of the long, bright orange stripes
Reading Time: 2 minutes Seven winter wheat and 18 spring wheat fields were surveyed for stripe rust in the Lethbridge, Vulcan, Newell and Taber counties southern Alberta. The recent hot dry weather in southern Alberta has slowed the rate of spread of the pathogen. Fields in the Vulcan and Newell Counties were showing signs of drought stress. In general, […] Read more
GRAINS: Wheat futures fall a day after Ukraine crash price spike
Reuters — U.S. wheat futures fell 3.4 per cent on Friday, erasing gains posted a day earlier following the downing of a Malaysian commercial airliner over eastern Ukraine, while Chicago Board of Trade corn futures also declined and soybeans were mostly lower. Investors were worried an escalation of the conflict between Ukraine and Russia, both […] Read more
Whether to spray for fusarium: flowering period is key
Wet weather in eastern Saskatchewan and much of Manitoba means farmers likely have fusarium head blight risk on their minds. But cereal grades are only at stake risk if environmental risks match up with flowering, a crop pathologist says. Vikram Bisht, field crop pathologist with Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Development, says two or three […] Read more
Guenther: Cereal crops hit with ergot needed for livestock project
Saskatchewan Agriculture wants to hear from farmers who find ergot in their cereals this summer. The ministry is asking producers to start scouting for the disease a week after crops start flowering and report ergot to their regional offices as soon as it’s detected. It’s all part of a new project designed to help livestock […] Read more
Severe stripe rust reported in central Alberta
Monitoring recommended in all areas
Reading Time: 2 minutes Central Alberta continues to report severe stripe rust in winter and spring cereals. It is very important to scout wheat and barley fields for stripe rust in all areas of the province as stripe rust is now reported from southern, central and northern regions, including the Peace region. In southern Alberta, Dr. Denis Gaudet and […] Read more
Prairie wheat bids steady overall
CNS Canada — Cash bids for Canada Western Red Spring (CWRS) wheat showed some improvement at many delivery points across Western Canada during the week ended Monday, and held steady overall despite sharp declines in U.S. futures. Average spot bids for CWRS (13.5 per cent protein) across Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta came in Monday at […] Read more
Why go on trade missions?
Consistency and high food safety standards have given Canada a ‘quality advantage’ in countries like China
Reading Time: 3 minutes I recently returned from a trade mission to China led by Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz, who was accompanied by other federal and provincial government officials, and representatives from barley, beef, pork, blueberries, flax and other sectors. Trade missions like this one to China are not unique, and follow closely to recent trade missions to Korea […] Read more
Extent of flood damage to winter wheat not yet known
CNS Canada — While many crops in southern Manitoba and Saskatchewan are considered a write-off this year due to excessive precipitation and flooding, winter wheat is sitting in an area of uncertainty. “We’re not doing worse than anybody else, let’s put it that way,” said Jake Davidson, executive director of Winter Cereals Canada at Minnedosa, […] Read more
Ukraine questions legal basis of Crimea’s grain exports
Moscow | Reuters — Ukraine protested over recent grain exports from Crimea on Thursday, questioning their legal basis following Russia’s annexation of the region and fuelling tensions between the two countries. Russia and Ukraine are the region’s main global grain exporters and rivals to supply customers in North Africa and the Middle East. Russia announced […] Read more