This year’s gross dollars figures for peas, oats and canola were well above those from a year ago.

Gross revenue tally provides ‘interesting’ take on drought impact

If you had average yields and captured high fall prices, your per-acre revenue might have gone up

Reading Time: 2 minutes It won’t be of any comfort for those who had a wreck this year, but high prices mean gross revenue for most crops may have been as good or better for some compared to last year, according to a provincial market analyst. “Using the average yields and prices, there is a significant offset of the […] Read more

(BanksPhotos/Getty Images)

Feed weekly outlook: Feedlots, elevators filled with corn

MarketsFarm — As 2022 begins, feed grain markets in Alberta have been “status quo,” according to a grain buyer. “There’s a lot of grain that has been pre-contracted in terms of corn coming in from the United States,” said Brandon Motz of CorNine Commodities at Lacombe, Alta. “Lots of priority has been towards execution, making […] Read more


Weeds like kochia, pictured here in lentils, got a competitive advantage from the hot, dry conditions this summer. And more seeds returning to the soil seed bank could boost weed pressure in the coming year.

Drought may have set up weeds nicely for 2022

And while disease levels dropped last year, they could easily come roaring back in 2022

Reading Time: 4 minutes This summer’s hot, dry conditions made weeds harder to manage this year — and that’s not good news for next year. “This year, precipitation was one of the biggest driving factors for what we saw showing up in fields,” said federal research scientist Charles Geddes. “We ended up seeing a lot more flushes of weeds […] Read more

Sheila Hillmer, pictured here with dog Tucker, had a rough start in the cattle industry in 2021 but ended up feeling “fairly lucky.”

In very difficult times, individuals and governments stepped up

Hay West lifted people’s spirits and the fast rollout of emergency aid prevented a much bigger cull

Reading Time: 4 minutes There’s no sugar-coating it — 2021 was a tough year. “The one thing you know when you’re an agricultural producer is the weather is the No. 1 thing,” said Bob Lowe, owner of Bear Trap Feeders in Nanton and president of the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association. “We’re probably all familiar with droughts, it’s just the size […] Read more


Herbicide carry-over a risk in 2022

Herbicide carry-over a risk in 2022

Reading Time: < 1 minute Saskatchewan’s pulse, canola and wheat commissions have created a six-page fact sheet on factors affecting herbicide carry-over and the risk that poses. “Herbicide carry-over becomes a concern after dry conditions because soil moisture largely dictates the rate of soil residual herbicide breakdown due to its influence on two of the major degradation mechanisms: microbial activity […] Read more




A sunflower crop north of St. Adolphe, Man. on Sept. 19, 2021. (Dave Bedard photo)

USDA expects canola, sunflowers elsewhere to offset Canada’s shortfalls

MarketsFarm –– Good canola and rapeseed crops in Australia and a number of other parts of the world along with large world sunflower seed production should help offset Canada’s smaller-than-expected production somewhat, according to the December oil crops outlook from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Total global canola/rapeseed production is now forecast by USDA at […] Read more


Canadian Drought Monitor map of drought conditions and intensity in Canada at Nov. 30, 2021. (AAFC)

Precipitation eases drought conditions on Prairies

Hardest-hit Manitoba sees 'modest' improvements

MarketsFarm — Varied amounts of precipitation are either maintaining or alleviating drought conditions in much of the Prairies, according to the latest nationwide drought map from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s (AAFC) Canadian Drought Monitor (CDM). The latest assessment for the period ended Nov. 30 showed very few areas of worsening drought in the region with […] Read more

(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Feed weekly outlook: Wheat, barley supplies tighten, replaced by corn

MarketsFarm — The further tightening of wheat and barley feed supplies is prompting feedlots to purchase more corn from the U.S., according to an Alberta-based analyst. “We’re nine months away, or almost 10 months away from more inventory coming in. There’s not much there for wheat and barley,” said Mike Fleischhauer of Eagle Commodities at […] Read more