Reading Time: < 1 minute The relatively stable feed barley market in southern Alberta is starting to show signs of softening, as seasonal market factors cause demand to back away. The market is still working to ration the old crop until the new crop arrives, said Allen Pirness, a feed grains trader with Market Place Commodities in Lethbridge. However, now […] Read more
Seasonal downturn to weigh on Alta. feed barley
New Minnesota canola crusher starts up
Reading Time: 2 minutes Manitoba canola growers have one more place to sell their product, as a crushing facility just south of the U.S. border begins ramping up operations. The Northstar Agri Industries plant at Hallock, Minn., about 130 km south of Winnipeg, started processing canola on May 18, and will run through mid-July at a reduced capacity to […] Read more
Declining oats futures take cash bids down
Reading Time: < 1 minute Sharp declines in oats futures at the CBOT (Chicago Board of Trade) over the past week are largely the result of speculative selling, but cash bids in Western Canada are also drifting lower. Speculative fund traders were holding large net long positions in oats, which they’ve been liquidating recently, said oats merchant Ryan McKnight of […] Read more
West’s hog herd expansion unlikely for now
Reading Time: 2 minutes The prospect of cheaper feed grain costs is unlikely to lead to hog herd expansion in Western Canada, as tight margins and a moratorium on new hog barns in Manitoba should limit the interest in growing the sector. Expectations for a large U.S. corn crop have led to ideas that the resulting decline in feed […] Read more
Soybean acreage continues to grow in Manitoba
Reading Time: < 1 minute Manitoba farmers intend to plant a record-large soybean crop again in 2012, as good returns and improved varieties have led soybeans to gain an ever-larger foothold in the province. After seeing acreage rise steadily over the past five years, soybean seedings in the province are forecast to hit 800,000 acres in 2012, according to the […] Read more
Old/new-crop canola spread to widen further
Reading Time: 2 minutes ICE Futures Canada canola contracts have climbed higher in recent days, with the old-crop months posting the largest gains. The spread between the old- and new-crop contracts is expected to continue to widen, as tightening old-crop supplies will be countered by expectations for record production in 2012. As of the close of trade on April […] Read more
Canada’s farmers seeding “fencerow to fencerow”
Reading Time: 2 minutes Canadian farmers intend to plant more of just about everything in 2012, according to the Statistics Canada planting intentions report released Tuesday, as favourable returns and improved moisture conditions could see very few acres lying fallow this summer. With canola, wheat, barley and most of the other major crops grown in the country expected to […] Read more
Canola marketing a possibility under new CWB
Reading Time: 2 minutes The new voluntary Canadian Wheat Board may be looking to branch out to market other commodities, particularly canola, in time for the 2012-13 crop. However, the CWB is currently focused on transitioning its traditional wheat, durum, and barley marketing to an open market, and the introduction of new commodities is still forthcoming. "We expect, and […] Read more
Early Alta. seeding stalled by moisture
Reading Time: < 1 minute Recent precipitation across a large portion of Alberta will help improve moisture levels in the province, as seeding operations are set to get underway for the year. Some barley and spring wheat was already seeded in southern Alberta over the past week, before precipitation and colder temperatures halted that activity, said crop specialist Harry Brook […] Read more
Morocco’s drought to support Prairie durum prospects
Reading Time: 2 minutes Drought concerns in Spain and Morocco could bode well for Canadian durum exports, as the two Mediterranean countries are both major producers of the crop. "The dryness in Morocco has been building since December, and we’ve seen it continue to build," said Stuart McMillan, a weather and crop analyst with the CWB in Winnipeg. Nearby […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
