Prairie grain handler Richardson Pioneer has started work on a new elevator to expand its access to the southern reaches of northwestern Alberta’s Peace region. The Winnipeg company said Thursday it expects to complete a new high-throughput grain elevator by fall next year on Canadian National Railway (CN) track at Huallen, about 35 km west […] Read more

Richardson to boost Peace region grain handle
New elevator in progress west of Grande Prairie

Prairies at risk of frosty harvest
MarketsFarm — Another dilemma is expected for the 2019 growing season: after a late start, western Canadian farmers could be challenged by an early end. Over the Aug. 10 weekend there were isolated reports of frost in some areas of the Peace region in northwestern Alberta. Other parts of the Prairies may be experiencing similar […] Read more

Rain turns fortunes around for many, but not all
In the north and central regions, crops are looking very good, but the south and Peace are suffering
Reading Time: 3 minutes Some much-needed moisture during the month of June may have turned this year’s crop prospects around — at least in some parts of the province. “It’s been an interesting growing season so far — from a very dry May to the central areas getting quite a bit of precipitation in June,” provincial crop specialist Mark […] Read more

Richardson buys Peace-region input retailer
Grain handler Richardson Pioneer has moved to shore up its presence in northern Alberta’s crop input market with a deal for a Peace-region dealership. Winnipeg-based Richardson announced Wednesday it has bought Agland Seed and Chemical at La Crete, Alta., about 320 km north of Peace River. The deal, which closed Tuesday, will see all of […] Read more

Feed weekly outlook: Downgrades likely for Alberta crops
CNS Canada — Snow and wet weather through a large swath of northern and central Alberta are causing havoc for farmers and will likely put more feed grains into the market. But normal harvest price discounts are still not as great as expected, said Susanne Leclerc of Market Master Ltd. in Edmonton. Feed grain prices […] Read more

ICE weekly outlook: Pressure builds on canola as yield outlooks vary
CNS Canada — ICE’s November canola futures look poised to continue chopping around between the $490-$500 per tonne mark, as uncertainty over yields in Western Canada sows seeds of doubt throughout the trade. “Yields that have been coming in suggest the crop will be bigger than the (Statistics Canada) estimate,” said Ken Ball of PI […] Read more

Prairie hay crops look thin in many areas
CNS Canada — Many farmers taking off their first hay cuts are also gathering more talking points to grumble over at coffee row. While many producers are still working to get the first cut done and the situation could change with the second cut, many regions are already reporting below-average yields. “In areas of the […] Read more

CHS sells stake in Bridgeland input venture to UFA
On the heels of its move to sell its wholly-owned crop input stores in Alberta and Saskatchewan, U.S. ag co-operative CHS is selling its remaining Alberta ag retail asset. Alberta farmer co-op UFA (United Farmers of Alberta) announced Tuesday it’s buying CHS’s interest in the two firms’ joint ag retail venture, Bridgeland Limited Partnership, for […] Read more

Forecast rain to cause few problems for Peace farmers
CNS Canada — As rain threatens to disrupt harvest in parts of the Prairies this week and next, the Peace region of northwestern Alberta is attracting added attention. While rains are forecast to be fairly general across eastern Saskatchewan and Manitoba over the next week or so, they are expected to cause minimal damage and […] Read more

Clubroot climbs up into Peace region
One of Canada’s northernmost farming areas has picked up a case of a disease well known to canola growers further south. Alberta Canola on Wednesday announced the Peace region has reported a case of clubroot in canola, in Big Lakes County, which surrounds much of Lesser Slave Lake in the region’s southeast. The disease has […] Read more