Crops
Reading Time: 3 minutes Can an old food become new again? Peas, beans, lentils, and chickpeas have been staples for centuries, but pulses are on the verge of becoming the next big thing. Next year, 2016, is the United Nations’ International Year of Pulses (IYoP) and there is a fistful of good reasons why these crops could become the […] Read more
Ready to launch: Why pulses are the future of food
Peas, beans, lentils, and chickpeas have been around for centuries, but they are poised to enter the spotlight like never before
Russia, Ukraine may cut grain crop forecasts as temperatures rise
Moscow/Kiev | Reuters — Major Black Sea wheat exporters Russia and Ukraine may cut their official 2015 grain crop forecasts as recent hot weather has raised the risks to plants and rains elsewhere have delayed the harvest and dented quality, farmers and officials said. Russia and Ukraine’s agriculture ministries have said if hot weather persists […] Read more
U.S. old-crop soy, corn stocks miss forecasts
Washington | Reuters — The U.S. Agriculture Department on Friday cut its outlook for the supply of corn and soybeans that will be left over at the end of the 2014-15 marketing year by more than expected, sending futures prices sharply higher. But new-crop corn and soybean stocks came in above expectations due to large […] Read more
Parched Prairie forages hang in under stress
CNS Canada — Sporadic rains and prolonged periods of dryness are taking their toll on forage crops in Alberta and parts of Saskatchewan. According to Terry Kowalchuk, a forage crop specialist with Saskatchewan Agriculture in Regina, the eastern half of the province is managing, but the situation is worse in the province’s west. The western […] Read more
K+S investors see PotashCorp deal within reach despite rebuff
Frankfurt | Reuters — Shareholders in takeover target K+S say a deal could be done because suitor PotashCorp’s main aim is to get control over its German rival’s ambitious Canadian project and scale it back. K+S’s Legacy mine, being built northeast of Moose Jaw near Bethune, Sask., would be the first built from scratch in […] Read more
U.S. grains: Soybeans, corn rally ahead of USDA report
Chicago | Reuters –– Chicago Board of Trade soybean futures surged 2.9 per cent on Thursday on concerns that more rain in the U.S. Midwest would hinder crop development, traders said. Corn futures followed soybeans higher. Expectations that the U.S. Agriculture Department will trim its production forecast for both commodities in its monthly supply and […] Read more
Benchmark offers pricing on feed pea value
Feed Pea Benchmark evaluates feed ingredients to determine when feed peas are economically feasible in swine rations
Reading Time: < 1 minute The Alberta Pulse Growers and its Saskatchewan counterpart are relaunching the Feed Pea Benchmark with additional feed ingredient comparisons for Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. “This is a good tool for the marketplace and growers who are looking at a feed option for their field peas,” said Allison Ammeter, chair of the Alberta Pulse Growers. The […] Read more
Alberta weekly pest update
Conditions as of July 9, 2015
Reading Time: < 1 minute Grasshoppers and thrips are just two of the insects enjoying Alberta’s hot, dry weather. Scott Meers, insect management specialist with Alberta Agriculture and Forestry, talks about these and other insect issues on his weekly ‘Call of the Land’ podcast. To listen to Scott’s July 9 ‘Call of the Land’ broadcast, visit the Alberta Agriculture website.
U.S. forecaster sees El Nino likely into N. Hemisphere spring
New York | Reuters — A U.S. government weather forecaster on Thursday warned that much-watched El Nino conditions are likely to last another nine months, potentially roiling global crops and commodities prices. The National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center projected a more than 90 per cent chance that El Nino would continue through this winter […] Read more
CPSR wheat breeding program adopts ‘4-P’ model
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s breeding program for Canada Prairie Spring Red (CPSR) wheat in Alberta is picking up new investment partners. AAFC, Canterra Seeds and the Alberta Wheat Commission (AWC) on Wednesday announced they would jointly contribute $3.4 million over five years to Dr. Harpinder Randhawa’s CPSR breeding program at AAFC’s Lethbridge Research Centre. The […] Read more