Reading Time: 2 minutes Grasshopper forecasts from the three Prairie provinces over the past month show a relatively low risk of grasshoppers across most crop areas for the upcoming season. The grasshopper maps from the three provincial agriculture ministries are based on counts of adult grasshoppers in the summer of 2012, weather data and recent population trends. The surveys […] Read more
Low grasshopper risk seen on Prairies
High grain prices may pull veggies up too
Reading Time: 3 minutes High production costs and the lure of easier returns from other crops may cause some vegetable growers in Manitoba to rethink their operations — but the extensive infrastructure involved in vegetable production should limit quick acreage shifts in the province. Strong grain and oilseed prices are expected to eventually pull vegetable prices higher as well. […] Read more
Yields keep sunflowers in Man. crop mix for 2013
Reading Time: < 1 minute Manitoba farmers saw very good sunflower yields in 2012, which are expected to keep farmers interested in growing the crop, especially if prices remain competitive with other options. Average provincial yields for sunflowers hit their highest level on record in 2012 at 1,955 pounds per acre, according to Statistics Canada data. That compares with the […] Read more
Wheat bids soften in Western Canada
Reading Time: < 1 minute Wheat bids in Western Canada have declined in sympathy with U.S. futures over the past few weeks, although demand is starting to show signs of picking back up. Bids for both Canada Western Red Spring (CWRS) and Canada Prairie Spring (CPS) wheat at a cross-section of delivery points across Western Canada have declined by an […] Read more
Declining feed wheat to pull barley down
Reading Time: < 1 minute Declining feed wheat and corn prices over the last half of December have the potential to pull barley down as well, according to a grain broker. Kyle Sinclair noted barley has so far held relatively firm in the key Lethbridge livestock feeding area, despite the losses in other grains. Barley is more likely to go […] Read more
ICE canola watching South America
Reading Time: < 1 minute ICE Futures Canada canola contracts moved up and down during the two weeks ended Jan. 2, posting small gains overall during the choppy holiday period. However, the upside may be limited going forward, as expectations for a large South American soybean crop are overhanging the oilseeds in general, said a broker. The most active March […] Read more
ICE canola trending down
Reading Time: < 1 minute Canola contracts on the ICE Futures Canada platform moved lower during the week ended Dec. 19, hitting their weakest levels in a month as a sell-off in the Chicago soy complex spilled over to weigh on prices. Speculative long liquidation ahead of the New Year was behind some of the weakness, and could lead to […] Read more
Barley exports look strong so far in open market
Reading Time: 2 minutes Canadian barley exports are looking strong, as the end of the Canadian Wheat Board’s single desk appears to have brought more players to the table. As of Dec. 2, Canada had exported 651,700 tonnes of barley during the crop year to date, which was up by more than 200,000 tonnes from the level seen at […] Read more
Rye looking cheap compared to feed wheat, gains likely
Reading Time: 2 minutes Rising feed wheat prices in Western Canada should eventually pull more rye into the feed sector, but the higher-than-normal quality of rye sitting in farmers’ bins might make them reluctant sellers when the time comes. "If wheat prices continue to rise, I think there will definitely be some (livestock) rations turning to more rye," said […] Read more
Weekly soybean crush hits record
Reading Time: 2 minutes Canada’s weekly soybean crush is running at a very strong pace, as favourable margins for processing the crop, and tight supplies of canola, cause those plants with flexible capacity in Eastern Canada to increase the percentage of soybeans moving through their facilities. Canada crushed 46,241 tonnes of soybeans during the week ended Nov. 28, after […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
