(Dave Bedard photo)

StatsCan confirms smaller canola acres, more wheat

MarketsFarm — Canadian farmers intend to seed more spring wheat and less canola in 2019, according to Statistics Canada survey results released Wednesday. Additional shifts are also likely in subsequent reports, as dry conditions in southern Alberta and Saskatchewan may alter some intentions. Statistics Canada forecast canola area for 2019 at 21.3 million acres, which […] Read more


Canola is currently being used to backfill other plant oils. Buyers in China are still in need of oil, but are looking for other varieties to meet their demand.

To store or sell canola? That is the question

As grain companies try to boost sales in other countries, growers ponder long-term storage

Reading Time: 4 minutes China’s ban on Canadian canola means that farmers have to take different strategies this year. Some are planning to store their canola on farm, while others are planning to sell. “Anything that has been ordered already, companies are honouring those canola contracts,” said Wade Sobkowich, executive director of the Western Grain Elevator Association. “They’re pencilling […] Read more



A police officer gestures at the photographer outside Canada’s embassy in Beijing on Dec. 12, 2018. (Photo: Reuters/Thomas Peter)

Ottawa pressed to consider more options on China’s canola ban

With canola export issues still looming large, some Canadian ag industry groups want the federal government to boost its diplomatic presence on the matter. The Canola Council of Canada on Wednesday said a Canadian technical delegation “has not yet been accepted” to travel to China and address Beijing’s recent suspensions of canola imports from two […] Read more



(Photo courtesy Canola Council of Canada)

Neonic-treated canola not an ‘unacceptable risk’ for pollinators

Already facing federally mandated phase-outs from many major on-farm uses in Canada over risks to aquatic insects, neonicotinoids aren’t expected to pose “unacceptable risks” to pollinators when used on canola seed or hothouse vegetables in the meantime. Health Canada said as much Thursday as it released its final re-evaluation decisions for three neonic pesticides — […] Read more

(Kat72/iStock/Getty Images)

USDA lowers Canadian canola export forecast

MarketsFarm — The slowing pace of Canadian canola exports, linked to the country’s trade dispute with China, saw the U.S. Department of Agriculture lower its forecast for Canadian canola exports in the current 2018-19 marketing year. In its latest Oilseeds: World Markets and Trade report, USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service said actual Canadian exports could end […] Read more



A high-speed bullet train travels past a rapeseed field in China’s Jiangsu province last month. The country has greatly expanded production of the oilseed, as well as soybeans, but still needs to import millions of tonnes of vegetable oil annually to meet its needs.

What should we do now? Don’t panic, say canola analysts

‘Some opportunity ahead,’ says market watcher

Reading Time: 3 minutes China’s decision to stop buying Canadian canola has prompted some farmers to push the panic button — trying to sell what they have in their bins before things get any worse. But those calling FarmLink Marketing Solutions are being told to hold off on making any hasty moves. “This is a premium oilseed,” said Neil […] Read more