Reading Time: 2 minutes CNS Canada –– Freezing temperatures are raising tensions for wheat growers in Saskatchewan as this year’s crop looks to survive a late blast of winter weather. The mercury dipped below 0 C in Saskatchewan on Thursday morning and Friday morning. Speaking Thursday afternoon, a regional crop specialist with the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture, Shannon Friesen, […] Read more
Saskatchewan wheat crop enters crucial phase
Pest Patrol: Are there any new insect pests that we should be alert for?
#PestPatrol with Mike Cowbrough, OMAFRA
Reading Time: 2 minutes The following information was provided by Tracey Baute, field crop entomologist, OMAFRA. Cereal leaf beetles feed on wheat, oat, corn, forages and grassy weeds. Spring plantings are most attractive, particularly late plantings, though some winter wheat can be infested in the spring. Both adults and larvae cause damage by chewing long strips of tissue between […] Read more
Prairie spring wheat bids rise with dry weather
Reading Time: 2 minutes CNS Canada — Cash spring wheat bids across Western Canada improved during the week ended Friday, with prices receiving support from dry weather conditions in Alberta and Saskatchewan. Weakness in the Canadian dollar, which fell from the US80-cent mark to the mid-77-cent range between April 29 and Friday, added to the upside. Depending on the […] Read more
Minneapolis leads U.S. wheat futures trifecta
Reading Time: 2 minutes CNS Canada — Minneapolis wheat prices are gaining on those at other U.S. futures markets, as traders expect reduced acres this year. But the opposite is true for the Kansas City exchange as the expectation of high production weighs, and Chicago markets are moving on technical trading. Minneapolis Grain Exchange — “We’re keeping an eye […] Read more
Russia seen extending wheat export tax for 2016-17
Reading Time: 2 minutes Moscow | Reuters — Russia is likely to extend its wheat export tax for the 2016-17 marketing year, which starts on July 1, because the levy is at a minimum level under current market conditions, traders and analysts said. The government has also indicated it is unlikely to change the tax ahead of the next […] Read more
If it’s wheat, spray for fusarium
This disease has become a perennial issue — and it will be for years to come
Reading Time: 5 minutes With today’s tight margins, there are times when it can make sense to play the odds in order to cut spray costs, at least until there’s visible damage to the crop. But with fusarium head blight in wheat, it’s just not advisable. Peter Johnson believes it’s time to adopt the same caution with fusarium as […] Read more
Pressure on oat prices sends farmers scouting other crops
Reading Time: 2 minutes CNS Canada — Lukewarm prices for oats, coupled with dry conditions in Alberta and soggy conditions in Manitoba, are crimping acreage this year. Generally known as one of the hardier crops around, oats haven’t been setting any record highs on price charts, resulting in a forecast of 11 per cent less acreage in Canada. “The […] Read more
Prairie spring wheat bids mixed amid opposing outside factors
Reading Time: 2 minutes CNS Canada — Cash spring wheat bids across Western Canada were narrowly mixed during the week ended Friday, with prices up slightly in some locations and down in others. Spillover from gains in U.S. futures was offset by the bearish influence of the rising Canadian dollar. Depending on the location, average Canada Western Red Spring […] Read more
Rising durum acres offset by declining spring wheat
Reading Time: 2 minutes CNS Canada –– Increased durum acres in Canada may limit the upside potential as far as prices are concerned, but smaller spring wheat plantings will also limit the downside, according to a durum trader. Statistics Canada on Thursday pegged intended durum acres at 6.12 million acres, which would be up from 5.82 million in 2015. […] Read more
The malting lottery continues
Having barley accepted for malting has never been a sure thing, and that’s still the case following changes to the marketing system
Reading Time: 4 minutes Malting barley can be one of the most profitable crops in Western Canada — if you can grow it, and if you can sell it. That’s not necessarily easy. Many farmers try — it’s estimated that 80 per cent of the barley sown in Western Canada is seeded to malting varieties. But only about 20 […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
