Grain grower Wade McAllister and agronomy specialist Jeremy Boychyn at a Plot2Farm trial on row spacing conducted at McAllister’s farm last year. In a video shot at the farm, Boychyn discusses the pros and cons of wide versus narrow row spacing, which is an optional parameter in a new seeding rate calculator put out by Alberta Wheat and Alberta Barley.

Cereal commissions offer new, and different, seeding rate calculator

The calculator targets seeds per square foot, not plants, while a new video looks at row spacing

Reading Time: 2 minutes Alberta Wheat and Alberta Barley have created a seeding rate calculator that has a significant difference from similar tools — it doesn’t require users to estimate emergence mortality. “Instead of targeting plants/ft2, this calculator targets seeds/ft2,” the cereal commissions say in an intro for the online tool. “Therefore, emergence mortality is not included in the […] Read more


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Advance Payments Program to offer 100 per cent up front

Feds temporarily waive 60 per cent up-front limit

Canadian farmers seeking pre-production cash advances under the federal Advance Payments Program ahead of this year’s spring seeding will be able to get the entire eligible amount up front. Federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau on Wednesday announced a “temporary waiving” of the program’s usual requirement that pre-production cash advances be issued in instalments of 60 […] Read more

CBOT May 2022 soybeans (candlesticks) with 10-, 20- and 50-day moving averages (yellow, green and black lines). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Chicago soybeans, corn consolidate

CBOT wheat mixed pending sanctions

Reuters — Chicago soybeans and corn eased on Wednesday, consolidating after two days of gains, as traders watch U.S. weather and planting, while wheat traded mixed pending further sanctions against Russia following reports of civilian deaths in Ukraine. The most-active soybeans on the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) eased 11-1/2 cents to $16.19-1/2 a bushel […] Read more


CBOT May 2022 wheat (candlesticks) with 20-day moving average (black line), MGEX May 2022 spring wheat (yellow line) and K.C. May 2022 hard red wheat (orange line). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Chicago wheat firmer on U.S. crop conditions’ decline

CBOT corn, soybeans also gain

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago wheat climbed on Tuesday as worse-than-expected U.S. crop conditions added to global supply concerns already heightened by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Corn and soybeans were also higher, bolstered as U.S. growers weigh last-minute planting decisions. The most active wheat contract on the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) ended 35 cents […] Read more



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Australian canola production heading downward, but still sizeable

New second-biggest harvest expected, USDA predicts

MarketsFarm — Despite canola production in Australia being set to drop 26 per cent in 2022-23, the country’s farmers are still projected to harvest the second largest crop, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s attaché in Canberra. In the attaché’s report, released Monday, canola production for the coming crop year was projected to be […] Read more

CBOT May 2022 wheat (candlesticks) with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages (yellow, orange and dark green lines). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Ukrainian export woes support markets

U.S. winter wheat 30 per cent good-excellent

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat, soybean and corn climbed on Monday, underpinned by disrupted supplies of Black Sea grains as the conflict in Ukraine continues, while attention shifts to U.S. production. Chicago Board of Trade most-active wheat ended 25-3/4 cents higher at $10.10-1/4 a bushel (all figures US$). Soybeans added 19-1/2 cents to $16.02-1/4 […] Read more



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Ukraine sunseed area seen falling due to war

Lviv | Reuters — The area sown to sunflower in Ukraine is likely to fall to 4.81 million hectares (11.89 million acres) in 2022 from 6.66 million hectares in 2021 due to hostilities in many regions, the agriculture ministry said on Friday. Ukraine is the world’s largest sunflower seed grower and sunflower oil exporter. The […] Read more