Photo: File

Early harvest pressures Prairie barley prices

CNS Canada — Barley prices in Western Canada are falling as an early harvest is weighing on values. “Prices have moderated here,” said Allen Pirness of Market Place Commodities Ltd. Lethbridge, Alta. The surprise rally from last week ended as quickly as it began. Prices which started last week at about C$250 per tonne were […] Read more




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Feed barley defies expectations as prices rally

CNS Canada – Feed barley prices have no business being where they are, based on supply-demand fundamentals, but that hasn’t quelled the rally. With prices for old crop sitting a premium over new crop, most in the industry expected old crop would gradually decline over summer and the two would eventually converge. But dry weather […] Read more


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Saskatchewan harvest underway: Report

CNS Canada – Harvest operations are underway in parts of southern Saskatchewan, according to the weekly crop report from Saskatchewan Agriculture. Crops were reportedly rapidly drying down across the province, with many pulse crops being desiccated. Most crops remain in fair to excellent condition, although later-seeded crops need rain to help heads and pods fill, […] Read more

Mark Gibeau credits the success of his organic heritage grain business to the connections he’s built with bakers and chefs.

You can direct market grain, too — but it’s more complicated

Mark Gibeau sells flour to bakers and chefs while selling direct helped Steven Snider get started

Reading Time: 4 minutes Mark Gibeau wouldn’t be a farmer today if he couldn’t direct market his grains. “Having small acres in the big-boy system doesn’t work,” said the owner of Heritage Harvest near Strathmore. “We had to find something different right from the get-go.” Gibeau, who farms with his wife, began growing certified organic heritage grains on his […] Read more


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CBOT weekly outlook: Corn and soy markets awaiting USDA report

CNS Canada – After a week where corn, soybean and wheat contracts climbed on the Chicago Board of Trade, traders are now awaiting the latest supply and demand report from the United States Department of Agriculture. “With the crop report (for) August, which at least over the last five years has historically leaned more bearish […] Read more

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Wheat futures climbing higher

CNS Canada – North American wheat prices have rallied sharply over the past few weeks and could have more room to go, especially for higher quality and higher protein wheat. After trending lower for most of June and into early July, the Minneapolis December spring wheat contract settled at US$6.2275 per bushel on July 31, […] Read more


Landscape featuring a grain field.

Japan resumes Canadian wheat purchases

Quick response by government and industry credited for quick resumption in sales to major wheat buyer

Reading Time: 2 minutes Japan has resumed purchases of Canadian wheat after testing found no genetically modified wheat in imports following the discovery of a few GM wheat plants in Alberta last summer. The decision “proves that Canada’s science-based regulatory system works,” said the general manager of the Alberta Wheat Commission. “Not only does Canada’s grain-handling system employ some […] Read more

Old Prairie Sentinel owner Rob Gugin has made it his mission to source as many local ingredients 
for his spirits as he can.

Lacombe distillery gets by with a little help from its friends

Old Prairie Sentinel wouldn’t survive without its locally grown ingredients, says owner

Reading Time: 2 minutes It takes a village to distil high-quality spirits. Just ask Rob Gugin. “We rely a lot on our neighbours,” said the owner of Old Prairie Sentinel Distillery in Lacombe. “This area of the world is famous for its malt barley, and our neighbours in Alix at the Rahr Malting plant make some of the best […] Read more