Crops
The CEO of Canada’s biggest rail network expects to be off work until late fall for surgery and radiation treatments on a precancerous tumour. Canadian National Railway’s (CN) chief executive Claude Mongeau said Wednesday he expects to have surgery either near the end of this month or early in September, to remove a rare type […] Read more
Tumour surgery to sideline CN chief
Western Prairies see low yields as harvest ramps up
CNS Canada –– This summer’s erratic weather has taken its toll on plant development in Alberta and parts of western Saskatchewan, according to crop-watchers in those areas. “We have heard that dry conditions have caused plants (peas) to slough off or have the tillers dry off and have lost those heads,” said Barry Yaremcio at […] Read more
U.S. grains: Grains, soy stabilize a day after USDA-led tumble
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat futures rose two per cent on Thursday, recovering after a nearly three per cent drop a day earlier when bearish data in a monthly U.S. government crop report sent grain markets tumbling. Soybean and corn futures staged modest rebounds, one day after the U.S. Department of Agriculture report stunned […] Read more
Mountain invader heading towards us
Reading Time: < 1 minute Orange hawkweed has been spotted in recent years along the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains. It is common in forestry cut blocks and is spreading rapidly down ATV trails and roads. Hawkweed is an extremely invasive plant, with a triple-threat arsenal of reproductive methods. It is not only a prolific seed producer, but has […] Read more
Start small when straight cutting canola for the first time
Reading Time: < 1 minute This year’s thin canola crop may force some producers to take their chances with straight cutting. “Typically we recommend a well-knit, even crop — something that the wind won’t shake, rattle, and roll — so that we prevent shattering and loss,” said Keith Gabert, Canola Council of Canada agronomist. “This year will be a little […] Read more
Crack open some pods before swathing canola this year, says agronomist
The ideal time to swath canola is when 60 per cent of seeds have changed colour — but 30 per cent is more realistic for large acreages
Reading Time: 3 minutes Keith Gabert is already dreading phone calls about swath timing in canola. “It’s going to be a hard job to figure out where your canola crop is going to be at for swathing, especially on some of those thin stands,” said the Canola Council of Canada agronomist at the Making the Grade workshop in late […] Read more
CBOT weekly outlook: Corn, soybeans face uncertain future
CNS Canada –– Chicago corn and soybeans both suffered heavy losses during the week ended Wednesday, as a supply and demand survey by the U.S. Department of Agriculture projected better-than-expected harvests. The report pegged U.S. corn output at 13.686 billion bushels while soybean output was pegged at 3.916 billion bushels. Both numbers were larger than […] Read more
ICE weekly outlook: Canola drop may spur fresh demand
CNS Canada — ICE Futures Canada canola futures dropped sharply on Wednesday as the market reacted to a surprisingly bearish U.S. Department of Agriculture report and resulting losses in soybeans. While the nearby technical bias has turned bearish, the latest weakness may also serve to uncover some fresh export demand for canola. “It’s a reminder […] Read more
CHS locks in fertilizer supply, scraps plan for N.D. plant
Reuters — U.S.-based agribusiness CHS Inc. said it would invest US$2.8 billion in a unit of fertilizer producer CF Industries to secure nitrogen fertilizer supplies. This is the third deal in a week in the highly fragmented global fertilizer industry, which is trying to cope with weak prices caused by excess supply. CHS will have […] Read more
The British are coming! And taking precision tillage to a new level
U.K. machine is pricey, but organic grain grower says it will easily pay for itself
Reading Time: 2 minutes Jeremiah Evans has a new high-tech hand helping him control weeds on his organic farm. Last fall, Evans took delivery of a custom-built U.K.-manufactured Robocrop InRow Weeder, which uses cutting-edge video image analysis to identify and target weeds, leaving the crop behind. After seeing what the cultivator could do to his wild oats, thistle and […] Read more