Crops
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
Start small when straight cutting canola for the first time
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
Group calls for sweeping changes to curb railways’ ‘monopolistic behaviour’
Crops Logistics Working Group wants penalties for not delivering rail cars and meaningful sharing of data
Reading Time: 2 minutes Ongoing assessment and better protection for small shippers are two ways to fix the grain transportation system. Those are two of eight recommendations made by the Crop Logistics Working Group as part of a review of the Canada Transportation Act. More on the Alberta Farmer: Eight fixes for an ailing grain shipping system The working group […] Read more
Eight fixes for an ailing grain shipping system
Reading Time: 3 minutes Here are excerpts from the Crop Logistics Working Group (CLWG) on its eight recommendations to improve the grain-handling and transportation system. The full report can be found here. Recommendation 1: Enhance Transparency in the Rail Market CLWG members request that the government encourage CN and CP to accurately report car order fulfilment data in a […] Read more
U.S. grains: Soy, corn tumble after USDA hikes U.S. yield forecasts
Chicago | Reuters –– U.S. soybean futures plunged six per cent and both corn and soybeans briefly fell their respective daily limits on Wednesday after the U.S. Department of Agriculture surprised traders by raising its estimates for domestic corn and soybean crops in a monthly report. Analysts surveyed by Reuters had expected USDA to lower its […] Read more
Kraft Heinz to cut 2,500 jobs in Canada, U.S.
Reuters — Kraft Heinz Co. said it will eliminate 2,500 jobs in the U.S. and Canada, including about 700 at its Chicago-area headquarters. Heinz, backed by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway and Brazilian private equity firm 3G Capital — known as an aggressive cost-cutter — combined with Kraft in March in a $46 billion deal that […] Read more