Beni Abbes, a village in western Algeria. (Cia.gov)

Algeria to open farming concessions to foreigners

Reading Time: 2 minutes Algiers | Reuters — Algeria plans to offer foreign investors concessions for farm land for the first time, according to an official document, as the oil producer seeks to boost food output and reduce reliance on imports. Under the plan, which is expected to be discussed by the cabinet this week before being submitted to […] Read more

Barley south of Ethelton, Sask. on Aug. 3, 2017. (Dave Bedard photo)

Feed weekly outlook: For barley acres, seeding delays will tell tale

Reading Time: 2 minutes CNS Canada — After a slight delay to the start of seeding in southern Alberta, producers are out in the fields and it doesn’t yet look like they have seeded more shorter-season acres, such as in feed barley. “Southern Alberta is a little bit later than normal (for starting seeding). But most areas, they’re kind […] Read more


A view from Alberta Highway 36 north of the Oldman River on April 14. While some traffic has been rerouted, flooding in southern Alberta hasn’t yet had a major impact on feed delivery, CorNine Commodities reports. (Photo courtesy Taber RCMP)

Feed weekly outlook: Prairie grains continue strong rally

Reading Time: 2 minutes CNS Canada — The rally on which southern Alberta feed grain prices have been riding since the start of the year continued this week. “Right now (we’re seeing) some of the best prices on barley for farmers that have been seen in Alberta for a while,” said Joshua Boyko of CorNine Commodities in Lacombe. According […] Read more

If you could convince wheat or barley to form nodules like these, you might be able to skip your annual nitrogen purchase.

The ‘Holy Grail’ in cereal technology

Can wheat and barley really be taught to act like pulses, and produce their own fertilizer?

Reading Time: 5 minutes A new research project funded by the Alberta Wheat Commission and the Saskatchewan Wheat Development Commission will try to answer a question that has bedevilled plant scientists for years: can cereal crops be made to fix their own nitrogen the way legumes do? The AWC is spending $100,000 to have Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada scientists […] Read more





(Canada Beef Inc. photo)

Feed weekly outlook: Barley prices rising for northern Alberta feedlots

Reading Time: 2 minutes CNS Canada — While feed barley prices are holding steady in the Lethbridge area, further north around Edmonton, prices are starting to climb. “We’re starting to see already just difficulty with loading here and there and buyers getting caught off-guard with not getting barley coming in when they needed it to happen. And that’s spurring […] Read more



SeCan says wheat midge tolerance saves producers $40 to $60 million per year.

Protect your midge-tolerant wheat

The midge-tolerance gene was found in the majority of SWS wheats in 2017. Refuge seed is required to keep this trait in play

Reading Time: 3 minutes Producers should add refuge seed to most Canada Western Red Spring (CWRS) and Soft White Spring (SWS) wheat varieties in 2018 to prolong the longevity of the midge-tolerance Sm1 gene, says Todd Hyra, western business manager for seed marketing agency SeCan. Last spring, Canadian researchers discovered Sm1 in most SWS varieties, including AAC Indus, AC […] Read more

(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Feed weekly outlook: Shipping to feedlots becomes problem

Reading Time: < 1 minute CNS Canada –– Spring has sprung on the Prairies, meaning road bans are starting, leading to problems shipping feed grains to feedlots in Alberta. “The supply is actually there at the farm gate but getting the supply from the farm gate to the end-user means more truck logistics and higher freight rates typically,” said Jim […] Read more