A corn crop in the RM of St. Andrews in Manitoba’s Interlake region on July 5, 2018. (Greg Berg photo)

U.S. grains: Corn, soy rise on short-covering

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn and soybean futures rose on Friday as traders covered short positions ahead of a long holiday weekend, but both commodities posted monthly declines as prospects for large U.S. harvests weighed on prices. Wheat climbed on technical buying, along with worries about tightening global supplies. Chicago Board of Trade December […] Read more



Hot, dry weather sees crop conditions continue to decline

Alberta crop conditions as of August 21, 2018

Reading Time: < 1 minute Provincially, crop conditions continue to gradually decline and are more than 8 points below the 5 year average of 65.4 per cent. As expected, the South region saw little reprieve from the endured drought and the crop conditions suffered with only 39.6 per cent rated as good or excellent. In contrast, the conditions experienced in […] Read more

Sask. crop proceeds well ahead of average pace

CNS Canada – Saskatchewan harvest continues to come off well ahead of the five-year average. Saskatchewan Agriculture, in its latest crop report for Aug. 14-20, said the harvest was 16 per cent complete compared to the five-year average of seven per cent. Dry weather was allowing producers to stay in fields. Harvest is most advanced […] Read more





On the far left is sound red spring wheat seed. Next is a ‘not a fusarium- damaged’ kernel — it does not have sufficient seed discolouration
or fibrous fungal growth, also called mycelial growth, to qualify as a fusarium-damaged kernel. Next is fusarium-damaged kernels with light symptoms (mycelial growth is visible around the germ and in the broad crease, and the seed looks shrivelled and chalky white). On the far right are fusarium-damaged kernels with severe symptoms (abundant mycelial growth is visible on both seed surfaces, with some pink discolouration at the germ. The seed has a shrivelled, chalky white appearance).

Proper combine adjustment pays off now and later

You don’t want fusarium-damaged kernels lowering grade or spreading spores, says crop specialist

Reading Time: 3 minutes Producers need to make combine adjustments to prevent kernels damaged by fusarium head blight from going into storage, says a provincial crop specialist. Harvest management of fusarium-damaged kernels (FDK) will improve the grade of a cereal crop, said Neil Whatley. “Many FDKs — especially in wheat — are smaller, lighter in weight, and more shrunken […] Read more

Crop conditions, harvest operations below five-year average

Alberta crop conditions as of August 14, 2018

Reading Time: 2 minutes General rainfall happened across a large area from northwestern parts of the Central Region to the North West and North East Regions, with precipitation from five to 50 mm, bringing needed moisture to the fields after a spell of hot and dry conditions. Precipitation in the Peace Region varied from spotty showers to an inch […] Read more


Wheat fields being harvested

Don’t forget about residue limits before you harvest

Reading Time: < 1 minute If you’re still considering pre-harvest weed control or a desiccation product, don’t forget about maximum residue limits. “Producers need to ensure they adhere to the pre-harvest interval which is the time from applying a product until it is either swathed or combined,” said Nevin Rosaasen, policy and program specialist with Alberta Pulse. Detailed information on […] Read more

The Canada 150 emblem in a durum field. (Agr.gc.ca)

Durum markets rattled as harvest set to start

CNS Canada — With the durum wheat harvest rapidly approaching in Western Canada, many analysts wonder how the dry conditions and extreme heat will affect yields. Yet there is one aspect about this year’s crop they already know. Increased seeded acreage this spring, and market access problems hindering longer-term durum sales, mean farmers might want […] Read more