Crops
Beijing | Reuters –– China’s state planner on Wednesday said the government would take measures to keep supply and prices of fertilizers stable, including releasing potash fertilizer reserves and ensuring imports reach farmers as it looks to bolster food security. The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) said it was one of 13 government departments […] Read more
China to release potash reserves
Move said to be intended to ensure supply, stabilize prices
CBOT weekly outlook: Harvest moving markets sideways
Updated, Sept. 22 — MarketsFarm — Harvesting continues to progress in both Canada and the United States, resulting in quiet activity at the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT). “Right now during harvest, the corn, wheat and beans are all stuck in a narrow range,” said Ryan Ettner, trader for Allendale Inc. at McHenry, Ill. “For […] Read more
BASF warns on seeding choices for drought-hit imi-treated fields
Steer clear of non-Clearfield canola, durum, canary seed in rotations, company says
Updated, Sept. 22 — The maker of Odyssey, Solo and Viper is warning grain growers whose fields were excessively dry in 2021 that those herbicides may not break down soon enough in those soils to allow certain seeding choices in 2022. BASF Canada on Monday issued an “urgent notice to growers” in which the company […] Read more
Aurora Cannabis to shut one Edmonton plant
Reuters — Aurora Cannabis said Tuesday it will shut down a facility at Edmonton, adding to the woes of the cash-strapped Canadian pot producer which has been reeling under the impact of the pandemic since last year. The company said medical distribution from the Aurora Polaris facility that is being shut down will move to […] Read more
U.S. grains: Corn eases as harvest progresses
Soybeans climb after reaching three-month low
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago corn eased for a fourth session on Tuesday as harvest progressed in the U.S., pressuring supplies, while a rallying dollar and lingering storm disruption cooled export sentiment. Wheat tracked corn lower on outside market pressure, while soybeans firmed after a near three-month low on Monday. The most-active corn contract on […] Read more
Would you like fries with that? Potato acres up after pandemic drop
It’s a few years off but irrigation expansion should usher in another production leap in the province
Reading Time: 3 minutes Alberta’s potato industry has bounced right back from its dip in acres during the pandemic. “We’re back to the 2019 acres,” said Terence Hochstein, executive director of the Potato Growers of Alberta. “We’ve added a few more acres, but there’s really no new farms and no huge increases on any particular farm. It’s just getting […] Read more
Don’t forget to harvest sample
Reading Time: < 1 minute Even though grain is in high demand, producers should still be taking samples of each load so they have a representative sample for each bin, says provincial crop market analyst Neil Blue. “The goal is to have a sample that has the same characteristics as the large volume of product it represents,” said Blue. “Producers […] Read more
CFA’s Hay West program up and running
Program website now online
A revival of the “Hay West” initiative, aimed at shipping feed from Eastern Canada to supplement drought-dented supplies in the West, has gone live. The Canadian Federation of Agriculture on Friday announced its Hay West 2021 initiative is “now operational and seeking applicants to both receive and supply hay.” Applicants interested in either supplying or […] Read more
Supply/demand pushing up flax prices
Corrected, Sept. 23 — MarketsFarm — Prices for flax have skyrocketed in 2021, as the amount to be harvested has fallen while demand has increased, according to Dale McManus of Johnston’s Seeds at Welwyn, Sask. Johnston’s was paying $38 per bushel for golden flax picked up off of the farm, he said, and brown flax […] Read more
U.S. grains: Corn, soybeans slump with harvest pressure, equities, oil
Favourable weather boosting U.S. corn, soy harvests
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn and soybean futures retreated on Monday as harvesting accelerated across the Midwest farm belt and sinking energy and equities prices weighed on market sentiment. Benchmark November soybean futures touched their lowest point in nearly three months, while December corn fell for a third straight session and hit a one-week […] Read more