File photo of a pea crop south of Ethelton, Sask. on Aug. 1, 2019. (Dave Bedard photo)

Pulse weekly outlook: Alberta markets optimistic despite weather

MarketsFarm — Varied weather across Alberta has made for an unpredictable pulse harvest. “We’ve seen everything from drought-like conditions in the south, to an overabundance of water in the central region, and to some degree in the north as well,” said Leanne Fischbuch, executive director of Alberta Pulse. Despite less-than-favourable weather conditions, pulse producers are […] Read more

File photo of a green soybean crop south of Winnipeg. (Dougall_Photography/iStock/Getty Images)

Pulse weekly outlook: Manitoba crops facing dry conditions

MarketsFarm — Varying dry conditions are set to take a toll on Manitoba’s pulse crops this year. Some crops have stunted due to dry conditions throughout the year, said Serena Klippenstein, production specialist with Manitoba Pulse and Soybean Growers. Overall, crop conditions are still dependent on the soil type and where they are in the […] Read more


A barley crop south of Ethelton, Sask. on July 30, 2019. (Dave Bedard photo)

Feed weekly outlook: Varying yields make for average crop

MarketsFarm — Feed grain crop yields are expected to be about average across the Prairies as harvest has kicked off. “It appears we’ll have somewhat of an average crop, with a bunch of high-yield areas and a bunch of low yield areas averaged together,” said Jim Beusekom, president of Market Place Commodities in Lethbridge. New-crop […] Read more

U.S. grains: Futures inch up after choppy trading day

U.S. grains: Futures inch up after choppy trading day

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn and soybean futures rose on Wednesday as traders assessed U.S. Midwest rain forecasts after a recent dry spell, and awaited an expected revision in U.S. planting estimates following spring rains. Wheat recovered from Tuesday’s technical-driven losses, despite healthy Northern Hemisphere harvests and a steady dollar keeping a lid on […] Read more






Jim and Karen Taphorn hoped their son would take over their Kansas farm. He tried but plunging grain prices forced him out and the Taphorns decided to retire and sell their equipment at an auction in February.

Trade war and sagging prices push out U.S. farmers

A decade ago, young people were flocking back to the farm — but now they, and their parents, are leaving

A decade ago, young people were flocking back to the farm — but now they, and their parents, are leaving

Reading Time: 5 minutes Shuffling across his frozen fields, farmer Jim Taphorn hunched his shoulders against the wind and squinted at the auctioneer standing next to his tractors. After a fifth harvest with low grain prices, made worse last fall by the U.S.-China trade war, the 68-year-old and his family were calling it quits. Farming also was taking a physical toll […] Read more