Wheat being loaded onto a cargo ship in Vancouver in 2011. (File photo: Reuters/Ben Nelms)

Exports tumble as supplies simply not there

'There's very little to sell'

Reading Time: 2 minutes MarketsFarm — Cereal and oilseed exports out of Canada nosedived in August just as the 2021-22 marketing began, according to the monthly export report from the Canadian Grain Commission (CGC). At about 2.24 million tonnes, total grain exports were down 38.5 per cent overall compared to those in August 2020. “There’s very little to sell. […] Read more

File photo of a canola crop south of Ethelton, Sask. in 2019. (Dave Bedard photo)

Canada’s drought forces canola importers to turn elsewhere

'Importers...are going to be left out in the cold'

Reading Time: 2 minutes Winnipeg | Reuters — Canada’s smallest canola harvest in 13 years, resulting from severe drought, is forcing importers like Japan and Mexico to pay more or scour other countries for the yellow-flowering oilseed. With the scant available Canadian canola fetching high prices, customers of the world’s biggest canola exporter are leaning more heavily on smaller-producing […] Read more



(Fertilizer Safety and Security Council)

Mandated cuts in fertilizer use could be costly for Canada, report warns

Fertilizer industry study, based on EU plan, points to yield losses for corn, canola, wheat

Reading Time: 4 minutes Straight-up cuts in fertilizer rates — if imposed to help Canada meet its targets for cuts in emissions by the end of this decade — could translate to significantly reduced income for farmers, an industry group warns. Fertilizer Canada, the group representing manufacturers, wholesale and retail distributors for nitrogen, phosphate, potash and sulphur, on Monday […] Read more


ICE November 2021 canola (candlesticks) with Bollinger bands (20,2). (Barchart)

ICE weekly outlook: Analyst sees canola spike late next month

Movement expected to roll out of November soon

Reading Time: < 1 minute MarketsFarm — As the canola harvest winds down on the Prairies, ICE Futures canola began to climb upward in approaching $900 per tonne, the upper limit of its range. That’s given Winnipeg-based analyst Wayne Palmer of Exceed Grain reason to believe canola will bust through $900 per tonne. “That’s all due to the drought and […] Read more

Saddle up to the tastes of Calgary

Saddle up to the tastes of Calgary

Of course Calgary means great beef. More than that, though, for farmers, it’s a taste of the future

Reading Time: 5 minutes A locally sourced, perfectly aged and superbly cooked Black Angus steak has been the signature item on Calgary restaurant menus for decades. It should come as no surprise. Alberta’s 8,000 beef producers provide half of Canada’s supply. Their five million head outnumber the province’s population, and these animals, renowned for their rich, marbled flavour, thrive […] Read more


Rough-stalk bluegrass in wheat, and a closeup (inset) of the open panicle of rough-stalk bluegrass.

Pest Patrol: What was that grassy weed in my winter wheat at harvest time?

#PestPatrol with Mike Cowbrough, OMAFRA

Reading Time: 3 minutes Three different types of grassy weeds were found above the winter wheat canopy at harvest this year. To prevent them from becoming a problem, they need to be identified so that the appropriate management actions can be taken. Here is a breakdown of each grass species and its control options:  Chess (Bromus secalinus) Chess grass […] Read more



(Xinzheng/Getty Images)

‘Two Michaels’ have left China, Trudeau says

Huawei CFO en route back to China

Reading Time: < 1 minute Ottawa | Reuters — Two Canadian citizens who were detained by Beijing for more than 1,000 days have left Chinese airspace and will arrive back in Canada early on Saturday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told reporters Friday. Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor were picked up in December 2018, shortly after Vancouver police arrested Huawei Technologies […] Read more

Huawei Technologies CFO Meng Wanzhou leaves her home to attend a court hearing in Vancouver on Sept. 24, 2021. (Photo: Reuters/Jesse Winter)

Huawei executive, U.S. reach deal to dismiss charges

Meng Wanzhou would be allowed to leave Canada

Reading Time: 3 minutes Updated, Sept. 24 — Reuters — Huawei chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou has reached an agreement with U.S. prosecutors to end the bank fraud case against her, U.S. prosecutors said on Friday, a move that should allow her to leave Canada and relieve a point of tension between China and the United States. Meng was […] Read more