Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — An arctic blast hitting the U.S. Midwest this week will put a third of the dormant soft red winter (SRW) wheat crop at risk of damage, agricultural meteorologists said Monday. “It looks like extensive sub-zero temperatures on Wednesday night in the soft wheat belt will leave one-third of the belt at […] Read more
Arctic air surge puts U.S. SRW wheat at risk of winterkill
Prairie wheat mildew report
Mildew led to widespread downgrading in 2014, but the crop’s overall quality outlook is still positive
Reading Time: 3 minutes This past fall, mildew has been one of a number of downgrading factors affecting the Prairie wheat harvest to a greater extent than last year, but it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s all bad news for finding markets for milling quality wheat. Each fall Cigi (Canadian International Grains Institute) receives samples of the different wheat classes […] Read more
Grain wreck: Weaknesses in the freight system
The big crop and awful winter weren’t the only causes of 2014’s rail fiasco, says transport expert Mark Hemmes. There are also deep systemic issues that must be resolved
Reading Time: 3 minutes If there’s anyone out there with a bird’s eye view of the rail system and exactly what happened last winter, it’s Quorum Corporation’s Mark Hemmes. The organization is the federally appointed monitor of grain transportation, charged with tracking how efficiently grain is moved out of the Prairies following partial deregulation of grain transportation around the […] Read more
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
Prairie CWRS bids ease along with U.S. futures
Reading Time: 2 minutes CNS Canada — Average cash bids for Canada Western Red Spring (CWRS) wheat were softer during the week, following declines seen in U.S. wheat futures. CWRS prices ranged from $4 to $7 per tonne lower in Alberta and Saskatchewan. The best pricing opportunities were still available in Manitoba, where prices were down almost $8 at […] Read more
Iraq buys 200,000 tonnes hard wheat from Canada, U.S., Australia
Reading Time: < 1 minute Hamburg | Reuters — Iraq’s state grains board has purchased 200,000 tonnes of hard wheat to be sourced from Canada, the U.S. and Australia in an international tender for at least 50,000 tonnes, European traders said on Monday. The purchase comprised 100,000 tonnes of Canadian wheat, 50,000 tonnes of U.S. wheat and 50,000 tonnes of […] Read more
Russia’s grain exports stop: farm lobby
Reading Time: 2 minutes Moscow / Abu Dhabi / Reuters — Russia’s grain exports have stopped due to curbs brought in to protect domestic supply, putting big deals at risk, an influential farm lobby group said on Wednesday. Russia’s main wheat buyers are Turkey, Iran and, very vulnerable to supply disruption, Egypt. Moscow imposed informal grain export controls with […] Read more
CN to pay WGRF $5.2 million
Reading Time: < 1 minute The Western Grains Research Foundation (WGRF) says it will receive $5,231,011 from CN Rail for exceeding its revenue entitlement for 2013-14. The Canadian Transportation Agency ruled Dec. 18 that CN has exceeded its maximum revenue entitlement under legislation that caps the revenue it can receive for grain during the crop year. CP was found to […] Read more
Russian grain exporters stop buying
Reading Time: 2 minutes Moscow / Reuters — A Russian grain exporters’ group that accounts for about three-quarters of the country’s shipments said on Friday it had stopped buying for export until domestic prices cool down. The move follows informal government measures to restrict exports as Moscow tackles a currency crisis, including through toughening of quality controls and a […] Read more
CME Group imposes rare halt on wheat futures trading
Reading Time: < 1 minute Chicago | Reuters –– CME Group briefly halted electronic trading in U.S. wheat futures overnight on Thursday, after prices sank 1.6 per cent in one second as concerns about Russian export curbs roiled the market. The 10-second pause represented only the fourth time this year that the world’s largest futures exchange operator has interrupted trading […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
