Reading Time: 4 minutes It’s been getting tougher for photographers to capture that iconic shot of adjoining fields of blooming flax and canola. There’s no shortage of yellow flowers, but Prairie flax area, recently averaging about 900,000 acres, is less than half of its heyday in the 1970s and 1980s. Last year’s area dropped even further to 775,000 acres, […] Read more
Saskatchewan is now flax central
SaskFlax and the Flax Council have joined to provide agronomic support and address issues such as market access
Canadian millers loyal to Canadian wheat
Russian wheat is arriving in Canada as part of finished food products
Reading Time: 3 minutes Canadian millers are not importing Russian wheat, but it’s possible Russian wheat is an ingredient in some manufactured foods imported by Canada. That’s according to Canadian grain industry officials, reacting to a recent Globe and Mail story. “I wouldn’t be surprised if some of the bread we buy in Canada contains Russian wheat,” Sylvain Charlebois, director of […] Read more
U.S. EPA proposal likes canola oil for renewable fuel
A final EPA decision is expected this summer, which, if favourable, could add new demand for Canada's premier oilseed
Reading Time: 3 minutes Canola has another feather in its cap — one which is expected to put more money in farmers’ pockets. In a ‘proposed decision’ released in April the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recognized canola oil’s value as an environment-friendly alternative to fossil-based fuel — a move that’s expected to add new demand for the crop. […] Read more
Elevator declarations changing Aug. 1
CGC says the move won't harm Canada's grain quality assurance system
Reading Time: 3 minutes The declarations of eligibility western Canadian farmers sign before delivering to elevators, effective Aug. 1, will no longer include crops that don’t require end-use quality assessment as part of the variety registration process. “It’s not a big change,” Canadian Grain Commission (CGC) spokesman Remi Gosselin said in an interview Thursday. Wade Sobkowich, executive director of […] Read more
Farmers’ CWB class action lawsuit gets certified
Suit claims federal government wrongly used farmers' money to help privatize the Wheat Board
Reading Time: 4 minutes A class action lawsuit alleging the government of Canada and G3 Canada Ltd. unlawfully used millions of farmer dollars to privatize the Canadian Wheat Board (CWB) has been certified after wending its way through the courts for 10 years. Court of Queen’s Bench Justice Chris Martin delivered his written judgment Tuesday in Winnipeg, clearing the […] Read more
W.A. Grain’s farmer suppliers to get 80 cents on dollar
CGC program to provide $5.6 million of $7.1 million owed
Reading Time: 3 minutes Farmers owed $7.1 million by W.A. Grain and Pulse Solutions, which had facilities in Alberta and Saskatchewan, will get $5.6 million, or about 80 per cent of the money owed to them, via the Canadian Grain Commission’s (CGC) Safeguards for Grain Farmers Program. “While we regret producers didn’t get 100 per cent (of what they […] Read more
Grain movement to Vancouver picking up
Railways seen recovering from B.C. damages faster than many had expected
Reading Time: 4 minutes Western grain movement to the Port of Vancouver was at 60 per cent of normal as of Dec. 15 and is expected to continually improve, Mark Hemmes, Canada’s grain monitor and president of Quorum Corp. said in an interview Wednesday. “I think by next week it’s going to look a lot better,” he said. “Is […] Read more
Elevators hope mandatory vaccination doesn’t disrupt operations
New regulations will require all federally regulated employees to comply early in 2022
Reading Time: 4 minutes Canada’s major companies hope their operations won’t be disrupted when Ottawa requires federally regulated employees be vaccinated against COVID-19 starting early in 2022. “It depends on whether employees that aren’t vaccinated will get vaccinated, or would they leave their jobs,” Wade Sobkowich, executive director of the Western Grain Elevator Association (WGEA) said in an interview […] Read more
Cargill close to resolving slow grain payments to farmers
Producers delivering now can expect their money right away, but the firm is still working on some payments for previously delivered grain
Reading Time: 3 minutes Cargill is closer to fixing problems with paying farmers promptly for their delivered grain. “They [Cargill] have worked through most of the issues,” Canadian Grain Commission spokesman Remi Gosselin said in an interview Tuesday. “Our understanding at the grain commission is that there should be no issues on a go-forward basis for future deliveries and […] Read more
Nexera canola seed to come with heat blast insurance
Corteva's 'Heat Advantage' provides coverage on seed purchased by Oct. 29
Reading Time: 3 minutes Farmers can’t prevent canola flowers from aborting in hot weather resulting in lower yields, but one seed company is providing some insurance against it — as part of the price of the seed. Brevant’s Nexera canola seed comes with a “a first-of-its-kind” insurance policy worth up to $100 an acre to offset yield losses due […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
