MarketsFarm — Producers are anxious to stock up on feed grains as weather across the Prairies has remained dry. “We’ve been seeing buyers being quite aggressive [when] bidding on all feed grains,” explained Nelson Neumann of Agfinity in Lethbridge. “Nobody wants to be caught without anything over the summer.” With little precipitation in the forecast, […] Read more
Feed weekly outlook: Grain prices strong as dry weather persists
ICE weekly outlook: Canola markets remain sensitive to weather
MarketsFarm — Canola markets were following trends set by soybean prices, as worries of late planting weighed on the minds of traders and farmers alike. As corn planting comes to an end, prolonged wet weather has continued to delay soybean planting to the point where the growing season may be shortened. “I think the market […] Read more
Mandatory Saskatchewan farm trucker training planned
The training exemption offered in Saskatchewan for semi truck drivers in agriculture operations is now set to be phased out within two years, the province said Wednesday. The provincial government in late 2018 announced it will require a minimum of 121.5 hours of training before a driver can obtain a Class 1 commercial driver’s licence, […] Read more
Prairie dryness concerns to persist
MarketsFarm — Large areas of Western Canada remain on the dry side, with little moisture in the immediate forecasts. And while it’s still early in the growing season, the interplay of conflicting patterns from the south and north will determine whether the dry areas receive timely precipitation during the growing season. “We are looking at […] Read more
Mustard acres to decrease, but yield outlook strong
MarketsFarm — The most recent principal field crop acreage report from Statistics Canada predicts mustard seed area will drop from approximately 500,000 acres to 400,000 in 2019, concentrated mainly in southwestern, south-central, and west-central Saskatchewan. Although fewer acres are expected to be seeded, prime mustard-growing areas in Saskatchewan and Alberta saw precipitation in recent weeks, […] Read more
Prairies can expect unexpected from El Nino this summer
MarketsFarm — The U.S. National Weather Service Climate Prediction Center on Thursday reported a 65 per cent chance of El Nino prevailing throughout 2019’s growing season. “A weak El Nino is likely to continue through the Northern Hemisphere summer 2019 (65 per cent chance) and possibly fall (50-55 per cent chance),” the CPC’s report said. […] Read more
Feed weekly outlook: Corn acreage predicted to be flat
MarketsFarm — Experts predict corn acreage will be flat in Western Canada in 2019. While flooding remains a concern to many this spring, years of dry summers have impacted soil conditions to the point where a wet spring may be a welcome reprieve. “I’m more concerned about how much moisture we will have gained because […] Read more
Saskatchewan offers up corn rainfall insurance plan
Saskatchewan’s crop insurance offerings for 2019 will include a new program allowing corn growers to insure against a substantial drop in moisture. The provincial and federal government on Feb. 26 rolled out Saskatchewan’s 2019 crop insurance program, in which coverage levels on average are to reach a record $230 per acre, up from $216 last […] Read more
Livestock tax deferral map expands again for 2018
Some northern and southwestern Ontario producers who had to sell breeding livestock due to drought in the 2018 tax year can now defer chunks of the income from those sales when filing their income taxes. The federal government on Wednesday rolled out its final list and map of designated regions for 2018 under its livestock […] Read more
Viterra closes deal for Gardiner Dam Terminal
Central Saskatchewan’s Gardiner Dam Terminal is expected to go full Viterra within months, now that the Regina grain firm has completed its deal for full control of the facility. Shareholders in GDT voted Dec. 13 in favour of the deal announced last month in which Viterra buys the half of GDT it doesn’t already own […] Read more