CNS Canada –– Officials in North Dakota continue to hunt down suspicious plants in a bid to keep the aggressive weed Palmer amaranth from establishing there. Palmer amaranth, a pigweed species, made its first confirmed appearance in North Dakota last month, in a soybean field in McIntosh County, in the south-central area of the state. […] Read more

North Dakota still on lookout for Palmer amaranth

Some North Dakota wheat rejected for ergot, merchants say
Chicago | Reuters –– Elevated levels of the grain fungus ergot are showing up in spring wheat being harvested in south-central North Dakota, prompting grain elevators to impose discounts and even turn some truckloads away, grain merchants said Tuesday. Ergot is a common grain fungus but some major buyers, including top global wheat importer Egypt, […] Read more

Pulse weekly outlook: Manitoba bean acres depend on soy
CNS Canada — After Manitoba in 2017 grew its largest edible bean crop in more than a decade, a downturn could be expected in 2018. However, new-crop pricing opportunities look favourable and industry participants say it’s still too early to get a firm sense on seeding intentions. “The pinto market is long in terms of […] Read more

Organic grain firm picks up elevator near border
A Minneapolis startup in the organic grain business has bought a northwestern North Dakota elevator that further expands its southern Prairie catchment. Pipeline Foods — which has hung out its shingle as a buyer of organic, non-GMO wheat, pulses and oats for food and feed — announced Tuesday it has bought a CHS elevator at […] Read more

Second incidence of waterhemp found in Manitoba
A second case of waterhemp — a noxious weed which, in many places in Ontario and the U.S., is resistant to glyphosate, Group 2 herbicides or both — has been found in Manitoba. Waterhemp (amaranthus tuberculatus), which resembles redroot pigweed and is in the same family, was first found in a soybean field southeast of […] Read more

U.S. northern Plains ranchers welcome hay lottery
Reuters — Hundreds of livestock ranchers in the drought-stricken U.S. northern Plains are embracing what organizers say is the first lottery designed to provide some much-needed relief to their operations. The prize? Tons and tons of hay. Ranchers in North Dakota, South Dakota and Montana have been suffering through the region’s worst drought in 30 […] Read more

Drought hits parts of North Dakota spring wheat prospects
Minot / Reuters – Spring wheat crops in central and northwestern North Dakota were showing the effects of hot, dry conditions and yield prospects were down sharply from a year ago, scouts on an annual crop tour said Wednesday. “The early-planted stuff looks the toughest,” said Dave Green, executive vice president of the Wheat Quality […] Read more

U.S. Plains drought highlights spring wheat supply crunch
Chicago | Reuters — Drought conditions in the northern U.S. Plains that have propelled spring wheat prices to a three-year high worsened in the past week and there are forecasts for more hot and dry weather that could crimp the harvest. As the world struggles with a glut of grain that has filled inventories to […] Read more

Lower North American durum acres keep attention on yields
CNS Canada — North America’s smaller durum acreage base in 2017 could give prices a boost later in the growing season, depending on how yields shape up for the new crop, according to a U.S. analyst. Disease issues in 2016 and better projected returns for other crops in 2017 are expected to lead to a […] Read more

Viterra buys North Dakota elevator
Prairie grain handler Viterra is expanding its reach in eastern North Dakota with a deal for Gavilon Grain’s elevator at Grand Forks. Regina-based Viterra said Monday it has closed its acquisition of Omaha-based Gavilon’s Grand Forks site for an undisclosed sum, and plans “immediate capital upgrades” for the elevator. The Grand Forks site, which was […] Read more