“I guess the thing that we noticed was the short supply of feed for our cattle — our hay yield is down to about 60 to 70 per cent of what it normally is." – Norman Hennigar.

Drought-stricken Peace Country producers get tax break but need rain

It’s been dry, dry, dry in the Peace Country and if the rains don’t come this year, they’ll ‘be hurting big time’

Reading Time: 3 minutes Cattle producers in northern Alberta can make use of an income tax deferral to help them weather the 2014 drought in the Peace Country. But what they really need is a break from Mother Nature. “In 2013, the Peace Country got average rainfall,” said Valleyview producer Roland Cailliau, a Zone 9 delegate with Alberta Beef […] Read more

Two-day course on hedging Prairie crops

Reading Time: < 1 minute Alberta Canola Producers and Alberta Wheat commissions are co-hosting a two-day course on hedging Prairie crops. Attendees will learn from experts how futures and options relate to local cash prices for western Canadian crops, and how to manage price risks for their farms. The course, created in co-operation with FarmLink Marketing Solutions, will be held […] Read more



(Dave Bedard photo)

ICE weekly outlook: Canola spikes as loonie falls

CNS Canada — ICE Futures Canada canola contracts finished higher for the week ended Wednesday, tracking the U.S. soy complex for much of the period but ultimately shooting higher due to the Canadian dollar’s sudden free-fall. The weaker currency helped improve domestic crush margins and also made canola more attractive to exporters pricing in U.S. […] Read more


(Lisa Guenther photo)

U.S. grains: Corn drops from one-week high

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn futures slipped from a one-week high on Wednesday on ample global supplies, traders said. Soybean futures edged higher, with bargain buyers picking prices up from their lowest since October even as concerns about dry weather culling crop production in South America eased. “Despite recent talk of drier-than-normal weather across […] Read more

(Monsanto.com)

Manitoba to boost insurance coverage on pedigreed soybeans

Increased coverage for pedigreed soybeans is among the changes planned for Manitoba’s provincial crop insurance program for the 2015 growing season. Soybeans are expected to be the largest pedigreed seed crop in Manitoba this year, the province said in a release, and the increased coverage is expected to reflect the “additional cost” of producing the […] Read more



Wheat stem sawfly

Crop insect forecast maps for 2015

Alberta Insect Pest Monitoring Network wants you to know what to watch for this upcoming crop year

Reading Time: < 1 minute The Alberta Insect Pest Monitoring Network has prepared its insect forecast maps for 2015. Among its usual suspects are names you’re likely familiar with. The links provided below include individual forecast maps for each insect (click on each insect name for a link to its page): Bertha armyworm Grasshopper Wheat midge Cabbage seedpod weevil Pea leaf weevil Wheat […] Read more


(Monsanto.com)

U.S. grains: Soy falls as export interest shifts

Chicago | Reuters –– Chicago Board of Trade soybean futures dropped to their lowest in nearly three months on Tuesday as export demand for U.S. supplies weakened ahead of what are expected to be record harvests in Brazil and Argentina, traders said. Corn and wheat futures closed firm on a round of bargain buying following […] Read more