Canadian farmers are expected to cut back the summerfallow allocation and put more acres in production this spring, planting more of those acres in oilseeds and fewer in grains and pulses. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s market analysis group on Monday released an outlook for principal field crops which, assuming a return to average or trend […] Read more
Federal forecast sees more oilseed acres, less in grains
Recommended malting varieties list released
Reading Time: < 1 minute The Canadian Malting Barley Technical Centre has released its annual list of recommended malt barley varieties. The list represents varieties that the centre recommends based on the greatest potential for performance, quality, and marketability. The recommendations are published annually with input from grain companies, domestic and international maltsters and brewers, grower associations as well as […] Read more
Klassen: Winter conditions weigh on feeder market
Western Canadian feeder cattle prices traded steady to $3 lower compared to seven days earlier. The market tends to soften during the first major snowstorm each year, but the established risk discount was not as severe as in past years. Notwithstanding the cold temperatures and adverse weather conditions, feedlot operators continued to step forward fairly […] Read more
‘Modernize’ grain grading, says Alberta Wheat
farm group says farmers would make more if Canadian grain Commission changes grading for sprouting and fusarium damage
Reading Time: 4 minutes Alberta Wheat wants the Canadian Grain Commission to “modernize” its grading system, saying it doesn’t align with market demands of international buyers. “It all comes down to wanting more objective measurements for quality standards,” said Kevin Auch, chair of the Alberta Wheat Commission. “We’ve got some pretty good grading standards — don’t get me wrong […] Read more
Barley groups pledge $2.4 million for barley breeding
Thanks in part to producer funding, the Crop Development Centre has released more than 70 barley varieties
Reading Time: < 1 minute Alberta Barley, its Saskatchewan and Manitoba counterparts, and the Western Grains Research Foundation will provide more than $2.4 million over five years to the barley variety development program at the University of Saskatchewan’s Crop Development Centre. Since 1995, producers have invested almost $15 million into barley variety development through the research foundation. “This funding provides […] Read more
Three crop marketing pros share their No. 1 tip
Reading Time: 3 minutes We asked the Hedging Edge experts for their No. 1 marketing tip for this fall. Here’s what they had to say. Neil Blue Provincial crop market analyst “My No. 1 tip — and this isn’t an earth-shaking one — is shop around. That means knowing your product first — getting a grade from potential buyers, […] Read more
Alberta Barley has three board and 17 delegate spots open
The deadline for nominations is Oct. 31 with the election taking place Dec. 8
Reading Time: 2 minutes Alberta Barley is seeking nominations for directors and delegates. There are 20 positions available, including two directors (Regions 3 and 4) and one director-at-large (Region 1, 2, 3 or 6). Seventeen spots are available for delegates with at least one opening in five of the six Alberta Barley electoral regions. “Volunteering your time as a […] Read more
Whew, there’s no malt shortage after all
Don’t cry in your beer — Alberta’s craft brewers have ‘lots’ of good-quality malt
Reading Time: 4 minutes Don’t worry — your favourite beer won’t be in short supply this year, despite recent reports that late-season moisture had seriously harmed Alberta’s malt barley crop. “The barley quality in 2016 is better than the 2015 crop, hands down,” said Kevin Sich, grain department manager at Rahr Malting near Alix. “If I needed a lot […] Read more
Weather woes not the only concern
The grain transportation system is far from fixed, poor quality will have continuing repercussions, and the world is awash in grain
Reading Time: 4 minutes All that rain and its effect on crop quality is top of mind for Alberta farm leaders, but lurking just behind is the prospect of the railways seizing up again in the face of a huge harvest. “It looks like there’s a lot of crop out there — I’ve heard estimates that this might be […] Read more
Craft beer boom drives demand for new malt barley varieties
It’s all about consistency and efficiency for the big brewers, but the small guys want unique taste and also use more malt per batch
Reading Time: 4 minutes New malt barley varieties will soon hit the market to meet the growing demands of a burgeoning craft brewing industry. “The brewing and malting industry is changing,” said Pat Juskiw, a barley breeder with Alberta Agriculture and Forestry. “In the past, our industry has been composed of big companies — the Molsons, the Labatts, the […] Read more
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