Reading Time: 3 minutes After first amalgamating their administrative teams and then their senior management, Alberta Wheat and Alberta Barley are now considering a full merger. But the notion of scrapping their individual boards and creating a single cereal crop board is still in its early stages, say the chairs of the two farm groups. “The resolution came up […] Read more
Wheat and barley groups eye merger
Committee to investigate pros and cons, with full membership of both groups to vote on the merger bid
Feed weekly outlook: Softening barley market to stabilize
MarketsFarm — Feed barley bids in Western Canada have softened over the past few weeks, but should stabilize as the spring approaches. “I don’t think there’s a lot of potential to push this thing much higher, and I don’t think the bottom will fall out either. What you see is what you get,” Matt Froehlich, […] Read more
Lower grain production predicted from Europe in 2020
MarketsFarm — European grain production is expected to be down slightly in 2020, according to the first forecast for the year from European trade association Coceral. In the report, released Thursday, Coceral pegged total grain production for the European Union and United Kingdom in 2020 at 302.7 million tonnes, which would be down from the […] Read more
Opinion: On cereal commissions. Collaboration? Yes. Amalgamation? No
Sharing staff has been good for Alberta Wheat and Alberta Barley, but having one board wouldn’t be wise
Reading Time: 3 minutes At FarmTech last month, the membership of the Alberta Wheat Commission passed a resolution to explore the possibility of one governance structure with the Alberta Barley Commission. Alberta Barley passed a similar resolution at its AGM in December. The exploratory process shouldn’t be clouded by turf wars on the employee side of things since the […] Read more
Strong export demand, acreage ahead for barley
Lower supplies from Australia benefit Canadian growers
MarketsFarm — Canadian malting barley acreage is expected to remain high in the coming year, mostly due to strong export demand. Peter Watts, managing director of the Canadian Malting Barley Technical Center in Winnipeg, said tough harvest conditions were partially to blame for lowered malt barley output in 2019. “We had a fairly lousy harvest, […] Read more
What are your barley research priorities?
Reading Time: < 1 minute The Brewing and Malting Barley Research Institute and the Barley Council of Canada are seeking producer input on developing a national research strategy for barley. A key objective of the National Barley Research Strategy is to identify, and quantify, the research of highest importance to farmers. The survey asks respondents about topics such as how […] Read more
Poor Chinese demand a setback for grain exports
MarketsFarm — Canadian grain exports from licensed facilities are running well behind the previous year’s pace, due primarily to a sharp reduction in movement to China, according to latest monthly data from the Canadian Grain Commission. Total exports at Dec. 31 of grain, oilseed and pulse crops for the 2019-20 crop year to date came […] Read more
Alberta farm groups propose new research model
A ‘white paper’ by crop and livestock groups calls for a new way of doing things
Reading Time: 2 minutes The provincial government should “play a role” but needs to work closely with the ag sector to develop a new research funding model, say Alberta farm groups. “Both Agriculture Minister (Devin) Dreeshen and Premier (Jason) Kenney have been vocal about the need to put research back in the hands of producers,” Alberta Wheat and Alberta […] Read more
AAFC forecasts more wheat, less canola seeded in spring
MarketsFarm — Canada’s farmers will seed more wheat and less canola in the 2020 growing season, according to the first supply/demand estimates for the 2020-21 marketing year, released Thursday by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. Total seeded wheat area is forecast to rise to 25.77 million acres, from 25.02 million the previous year. Production is forecast […] Read more
Feed weekly outlook: Temperatures rise, Prairie bids cool down
MarketsFarm — Feed grain bids in southern Alberta are cooling down as temperatures warm up after a bitter cold spell earlier in the month. After dealing with temperatures in the -20 C to -34 C range over much of the week ended Jan. 17, conditions in the key Lethbridge feeding area have flipped the other […] Read more
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