This might be the sight from your tractor cab one day — barren trees, the odd bit of snow, and wheat seed going into the ground a month or so earlier than you ever imagined. This photo was taken on Gould Ranching on April 6 of last year and despite three snowfalls afterwards, would emerge lush and green.

How early can you go? Ultra-early seeding is pushing the boundaries

Some farmers are convinced seeding at the start of April or even weeks earlier is a winning strategy

Reading Time: 7 minutes While other farmers are still counting down the days until they can start seeding, Matthew and Farley Gould will already be out on their fields, getting it done. Last year, the brothers started seeding spring wheat nearly a month before their neighbours — and they plan to be “even more aggressive this year.” “We were […] Read more






(Dave Bedard photo)

U.S. aims to double cover crop planting to address climate change

Farmers in 11 states to be eligible for program

Chicago | Reuters — The United States aims to double the country’s cover crop plantings to 30 million acres by 2030 under a new Department of Agriculture (USDA) conservation program launched on Monday. The agency’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) will spend US$38 million to help farmers in 11 states plant crops at a time […] Read more



CBOT January 2022 soybeans (candlesticks) with 20-day moving average (dark green line) and ICE January 2022 canola (yellow line, left column). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Soy jumps on USDA’s surprise cut to yield estimates

Traders had expected a higher soy yield; U.S. corn carryout seen lower than last month

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) soybean futures soared on Tuesday after the U.S. Department of Agriculture reduced its estimate for domestic yields, surprising traders who were expecting an increase. USDA pegged production at 4.425 billion bushels on a yield of 51.2 bushels per acre in a monthly crop report. That was […] Read more

CBOT November 2021 soybeans (candlesticks) with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages (yellow, dark green and black lines). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Soy down on South American weather, technical pressure

Firm U.S. dollar weighs on wheat; rising crop input costs supportive for corn

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago soybean futures fell on Thursday after five straight sessions of gains, pressured by technical resistance and beneficial forecasts for rain in top export competitor Brazil. Wheat eased from a two-week high hit earlier on Thursday as weaker crude oil prices and a firmer U.S. dollar offset tightening global supplies. Corn […] Read more


Bayer’s cross symbol hangs in a terminal at Frankfurt International Airport. (Typhoonski/iStock Editorial/Getty Images)

Bayer sees farmers pre-buying inputs as supply-chain snarls continue

Chicago/Berlin | Reuters — U.S. farmers are pre-buying seeds and chemicals they need earlier than normal, in a bid to secure supplies for next spring amid sector-wide supply-chain problems, a top executive at German agricultural and pharmaceuticals firm Bayer said Tuesday. Bayer also estimates its average seed prices will go up about five per cent […] Read more

Farmers plant saplings in a rice field on the outskirts of Ahmedabad, India on July 5, 2019. (File photo: Reuters/Amit Dave)

India unveils new rice variety to reduce water use, labour

New Delhi | Reuters — India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday launched an array of new high-yielding crop varieties, including herbicide-tolerant rice that can be directly sown into the soil, cutting expenditure on water and farm workers. In India, the world’s biggest rice exporter, the conventional method of rice cultivation requires farmers to sow […] Read more