MarketsFarm — Compared to last year, Canada’s 2022-23 quinoa harvest has significantly improved, with yields exceeding expectations, according to Michael Dutcheshen of Saskatoon-based NorQuin. “Last year was a tough year for Canadian farmers for all crops, with quinoa no exception. This year is looking a lot more positive. We seem to have missed the hot […] Read more

Quinoa production improves in 2022-23
Yields swing closer to average level

Pot producer Canopy Growth to shed retail stores
Company working on 'path to profitability'
In full cost-cutting mode, Canadian cannabis producer Canopy Growth Corp. is set to shed a significant chunk of its vertical integration model by selling off the retail pot shops it owns across the country. Smiths Falls, Ont.-based Canopy announced Sept. 27 it has an agreement in place with OEG Retail Cannabis — already the owner/operators […] Read more

U.K. is asked to reconsider ag tariff in Trans-Pacific talks
Tokyo | Reuters — Japan, Australia and other members of a trans-Pacific trade pact have asked Britain to reconsider tariff conditions in its entry negotiation talks, Jiji news reported on Monday. Britain has opposed expanding the target of tariff-free items, particularly among agricultural products, to near 100 per cent as set by the Comprehensive and […] Read more

Canadian wheat, canola stocks projections revised higher
MarketsFarm — Canadian wheat and canola ending stocks for the 2022-23 crop year are forecast to end up above earlier projections, according to updated supply/demand estimates from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, released late Friday. The updated estimates account for recent production and old-crop carryout numbers from Statistics Canada. Total wheat ending stocks for 2022-23 are […] Read more

Fiona pounds Bermuda as Canada braces for major jolt
Up to eight inches of rain expected along path
Hamilton, Bermuda/Halifax, N.S. | Reuters — Hurricane Fiona pounded the Atlantic island of Bermuda with heavy rain and winds on Friday as it tracked northward toward Eastern Canada, where it threatens to become one of the most severe storms in Canadian history. Fiona had already battered a series of Caribbean islands earlier in the week, […] Read more

Wild horses face unruly storms as Fiona nears East Coast
Damages feared to buildings, utilities, crops
Ottawa | Reuters — Shaggy, long-maned wild horses grazing freely on the sandy grasslands of the crescent-shaped Sable Island in the North Atlantic are expected to come under the swipe of a powerful storm forecast to hit Eastern Canada this weekend. Hurricane Fiona, tracking northward after carving a destructive path through the Dominican Republic and […] Read more

Canada to review impact of cannabis legalization four years on
Review will also look at regulatory challenges in pot sector
Ottawa | Reuters — Canada on Thursday launched a review of the country’s legalization of recreational cannabis use four years ago to evaluate its impact on youth, Indigenous minorities and others, and analyze its effect on the economy and the illegal marijuana market. Canada became the first developed nation to legalize use of recreational marijuana […] Read more

Atlantic Canada on Hurricane Fiona’s path, broad impact expected
Parts of Nova Scotia more vulnerable to flooding
Reuters — Hurricane Fiona is headed toward Eastern Canada and is expected to reach its Atlantic region by Friday in what could be a severe weather event as the storm continues to gain strength, Canadian meteorologists said Wednesday. Fiona powered up to a Category 4 storm on Wednesday, packing winds as high as 215 km/h, […] Read more

La Nina set to continue for third year
Other weather patterns may override temporarily
MarketsFarm — With fall soon upon North America, there’s nothing overly unusual with the continuation of La Nina, according to Drew Lerner, president of World Weather Inc. at Overland Park, Kansas. Going into its third year, some people might think this is the third consecutive La Nina — but Lerner said it’s the same one, […] Read more

GETTING THE DIRT ON DIRT: Big hopes for soil database app
U of A researcher wants app to be ‘soil carbon central’ for producers and carbon credit market
Reading Time: 3 minutes There’s no easy way to know whether management practices are putting carbon back into the soil, or how much. But Alberta producers may soon have an app that measures soil carbon, shows what management practices work best in their area, and allows them to trade carbon credits with high emitters. “Theoretically the app would help […] Read more