Reading Time: 5 minutes Some new varieties and new markets may signal the end of a long decline in Western Canada’s rye production. The 1990s started with rye area pushing the 1.3-million-acre mark, yet this year only 220,000 acres went into the ground. But some of those acres were planted with new hybrid varieties that have produced some eye-popping […] Read more
Rye takes an innovation jump
Hybrid varieties and new specialty markets are breathing new life into what had become the poor cousin of the Prairie cereal family
Durum prices sluggish ahead of upcoming harvests
Reading Time: 2 minutes CNS Canada — Canada’s durum prices are losing their premium over other wheat markets, but staying relatively static, despite hearty harvests and lagging demand, one analyst said. “I think what will drive the durum market here now is the overall wheat complex,” said Jerry Klassen, manager of the Canadian office for Swiss-based grain trader GAP […] Read more
Alberta to launch malt barley insurance
Reading Time: < 1 minute Alberta is set to launch Canada’s first crop insurance product for malt barley this year. The province’s Agriculture Financial Services Corp. (AFSC) last week said it will now provide insurance coverage for a malting end-use for growers with malt barley contracts. The coverage is subject to a contract from a licensed buyer, with a minimum […] Read more
Wheat class changes see the end of KVD
Kernel visual distinguishability (KVD) ended on paper in 2008, but new changes to wheat classes mean it will also end in practice
Reading Time: 4 minutes For decades, it was “What you see is what you get” when buying Canadian wheat. Not only did new varieties have to perform well in the field and in the bakery, they had to look similar to all the other varieties in their class. That helped ensure the consistency which has been such a strong […] Read more
India might extend wheat import tax beyond March
Reading Time: 2 minutes New Delhi | Reuters — India is likely to extend a wheat import tax beyond March to shield its domestic farmers from cheap imports, particularly as wheat from the new-season harvest will become available by the end of this month, government sources said Monday. After consulting the food, farm and trade ministries, the finance ministry […] Read more
New life for triticale
High yield, high nutrition, disease resistance and swath grazing potential are among the attractions of this wheat/rye hybrid
Reading Time: 6 minutes Triticale was introduced to Canada in the 1960s and got a bit of extra fanfare from a mention in the famous Star Trek episode “The Trouble With Tribbles.” Interest soon waned, but the wheat-rye hybrid is now getting some renewed attention as a versatile crop with potential for grain, forage and ethanol production. Breeding programs […] Read more
Five new winter wheats evaluated at Cigi
Flour yield and colour have been found to be better than in U.S. varieties
Reading Time: 3 minutes Investigation of the quality of Canada Western Red Winter wheat varieties has been ongoing at the Canadian International Grains Institute in support of the industry with an aim to increase awareness of its quality potential for both customers and producers. In 2014, Cigi created a winter wheat technical specialist position with funding from the Alberta […] Read more
Prairie wheat bids rise with U.S. futures
Reading Time: 2 minutes CNS Canada — Cash spring wheat bids across Western Canada moved higher during the week ended Friday, as domestic bids tracked gains in U.S. futures. Depending on the location, average Canada Western Red Spring (CWRS) wheat prices were up by $5 to $8 per tonne over the course of the week, according to price quotes […] Read more
Oats’ buyers, sellers far apart on price
Reading Time: < 1 minute CNS Canada — Farmers with oats to sell and end-users willing to buy them are far apart in terms of price right now, limiting how much business is actually taking place. Major U.S. customers are well covered for the time being, “with enough to last for a few months worth of milling,” said Ryan McKnight […] Read more
Making change for cereal crop development
In the wake of deregulation, the cereals sector has needed to reorganize itself, and so far it seems like the major pieces have been picked up
Reading Time: 7 minutes When the Canadian Wheat Board was losing the single desk, there was no shortage of dire predictions about what the fallout might be. Even many of those in favour of an open market conceded that there were a lot of moving parts, and it was going to be necessary to proceed with caution lest very […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
