MarketsFarm — Overall spring planting across Saskatchewan reached 33 per cent complete as of Monday, according to the latest weekly crop report from Saskatchewan Agriculture. Despite the good progress over the week, that’s still 20 points behind the five-year average. When compared to the excellent progress this time last year, the gap expands to 41 […] Read more
Planting progress picking up in Saskatchewan
Drought monitor drills down into the very dry conditions
Conditions in the southern part of the province approaching a state seen only once in a half-century
Reading Time: 2 minutes It’s no surprise to anyone farming in southern Alberta, but drought conditions continue to worsen in the region after yet another very dry month. AgCanada’s Drought Monitor expanded the areas classified as being in extreme drought (a D3 rating) or severe drought (D2) after the south received only 40 per cent of normal precipitation in […] Read more
Pulse weekly outlook: Still early in season to switch crops
Decisions likely in next couple of weeks
MarketsFarm — With dry conditions dominating western and southwestern Saskatchewan and wet conditions prominent in the province’s east and northeast, at mid-May it remained early to consider switching pulse crops to something else, according to Carl Potts, executive director of Saskatchewan Pulse Growers. Overall, he said, spring planting throughout the province as of May 9 […] Read more
U.S. grains: Chicago wheat firm as worries about global supplies remain
Corn retreats, soybeans also firm
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago wheat futures rallied on Tuesday, even after India said it would allow overseas wheat shipments awaiting customs clearance, as traders focused on an unrelenting question roiling global prices: Where will the world get its grain? The most-active wheat contract on the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) dipped early in the […] Read more
Eastern Prairies’ wet conditions may curb insect pest risk
Late-seeded crops may germinate more quickly in warmer soils
MarketsFarm — If there could be one benefit to the excessive moisture across much of southern Manitoba and the Interlake region, that would be a potentially reduced risk for insect pests, according to John Gavloski, entomologist for Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Resource Development. For example, Gavloski cited flea beetles, which could damage canola. “If [canola] […] Read more
U.S. grains: Chicago wheat limit up on India’s export ban
CBOT corn, soybeans also higher
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago wheat futures hit their daily 70-cent trading limit cap on Monday after India banned exports of the grain, an abrupt policy change that fanned concerns about global supplies strained by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The wheat rally sent spillover strength to corn futures, as global buyers, who were banking on […] Read more
India bans wheat exports as heat wave hurts crop, domestic prices soar
Ban could push global wheat prices to new peaks
Mumbai | Reuters — India banned wheat exports on Saturday days after saying it was targeting record shipments this year, as a scorching heat wave curtailed output and domestic prices hit a record high. The government said it would still allow exports backed by already issued letters of credit and to countries that request supplies […] Read more
Dust storm, hurricane-force winds tear across U.S. upper Midwest
Chicago | Reuters — Hurricane-force winds tore across the U.S. upper Midwest Thursday evening, sending walls of dust across cities and rural towns, causing widespread property damage and killing at least two people. Straight-line winds up to 170 km/h reached from Kansas to Wisconsin, pushing waves of farmland topsoil across the horizon and plunging communities […] Read more
Spring planting well underway in Ontario
MarketsFarm — Farmers are well into seeding their crops for 2022, according to Wednesday’s crop report from Ontario’s Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA). The report noted planting of corn, soybeans and spring cereals started late last week — the exception being where there are heavier soils. OMAFRA projected planting could be 80 […] Read more
Tightening supplies likely to underpin chickpea market
MarketsFarm — Tightening worldwide chickpea supplies could bode well for prices later this year, although Canadian acres will likely be down and there’s still a long growing season ahead. Canadian farmers intend to seed 175,200 acres of chickpeas in 2022, which would be down 5.5 per cent from the previous year and the smallest acreage […] Read more