(Doug Wilson photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

Malt barley seeding well ahead of normal

Reading Time: 2 minutes CNS Canada — Barley seeding is well underway across Western Canada and almost complete in southern Alberta, according to the head of the Barley Council of Canada. “We’re two weeks ahead here in southern Alberta, there’s guys that have wrapped up; they’re done seeding already,” said council president Brian Otto. On his own farm at […] Read more

(Canola Council of Canada photo)

Small canola acreage puts more emphasis on March 31 stocks

Reading Time: 2 minutes CNS Canada –– The canola industry will pay closer attention than usual to the upcoming Statistics Canada report on stocks as of March 31, as a smaller canola acreage figure is causing worries about tight supplies going forward. StatsCan is scheduled to release its report on Wednesday. “Because of that tighter acreage, the stocks number […] Read more



(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Feed barley bids rangebound in Western Canada

Reading Time: 2 minutes CNS Canada –– Prairie feed barley prices continue to hang tough in March, locked into a range established early this year. “We’re seeing a lot of bids in and around $205” per tonne, said Allen Pirness, a trader for Market Place Commodities at Lethbridge. Bids had been hitting around $210 per tonne, for example, on […] Read more


(Rahr.com)

Canada’s share of malt barley market shrinking

Reading Time: 2 minutes Winnipeg | CNS Canada –– Canada has historically been one of the world’s top malt barley exporters, but its share of the global market is shrinking, Cargill Malt’s Lorelle Selinger told the Wild Oats Grainworld conference. A poor-quality crop produced in Canada in 2014-15 is one reason importers have started sourcing their malt supplies from […] Read more

(Canada Beef Inc. photo)

Feed barley values seen ‘popping’ in January

Reading Time: 2 minutes CNS Canada –– Western Canadian feed barley prices remained firm to start the year, with bids having enjoyed a gradual rise from the $190 per tonne range in late November to the current level of $210 per tonne. “Bids have firmed up, not surprisingly it’s kind of popping in January,” said Allen Pirness, a trader […] Read more


(Doug Wilson photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

Lower-quality malt barley still commanding firm prices

Reading Time: 2 minutes CNS Canada — Western Canadian malt barley is still receiving firm bids despite a lack of high-quality supplies, according to industry watchers. “Prices are still fairly high but quality is fairly low.” said Reid Fenton, president of BLB Grain Group at Three Hills, Alta. “If it grows, it goes,” is how he described the current […] Read more

(Peggy Greb photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

Ont. oat, barley growers approve GFO entry

Reading Time: 2 minutes Ontario’s barley and oat growers have voted just over three-quarters in favour of representation by the province’s wheat, corn and soybean growers’ organization. Grain Farmers of Ontario (GFO) confirmed Monday that eligible growers voted 77 per cent in favour of the move in a November vote conducted by the Ontario Farm Products Marketing Commission. GFO […] Read more


Dr. Tarlok Singh Sahota

Black barley gets its chance

The exotic strain is a hit with food enthusiasts — and maybe soon it will be a hit with farmers too

Reading Time: 4 minutes In the past 10 years, growers across Canada have been introduced to a parade of specialty and alternative crops. East and west, there’s been camelina, crambe, sainfoin and, of course, quinoa — with test plots indicating it might be grown here with even better quality than in South America. Black barley is among the newest […] Read more

(Canada Beef Inc. photo)

Feed barley market quiet, awaiting new year

Reading Time: < 1 minute CNS Canada –– The feed barley market is in the middle of its seasonal slowdown. While demand should pick back up in the New Year, the prices might not have much room to the upside, given ample feed wheat supplies. “If you didn’t look at the calendar, you could still guess it was December,” said […] Read more