(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Feed weekly outlook: Prices steady, demand quiet

Reading Time: < 1 minute MarketsFarm — Demand for feed grains has slowed down on the Prairies due to uncertainty in cattle markets posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Many cattle processing and packing plants across North America have closed or slowed production due to lack of staff, leading to widespread issues in feed grain supply chains. “The lack of forward […] Read more

Figure 1: A weed seed’s perspective of having to germinate in the spring under a thick winter wheat canopy, which reduces the amount and quality of two key components for that weed to germinate: sunlight and heat.

Pest Patrol: Why growing cereals is bad for weeds

#PestPatrol with Mike Cowbrough, OMAFRA

Reading Time: 3 minutes The benefits of growing winter wheat in a crop rotation have been well established. Long-term research at the University of Guelph has shown a 10 bu./ac. increase in corn yields and a five bu./ac. increase in soybean yields when winter wheat is grown. Other benefits, such as increased soil organic matter when cereals are grown, […] Read more


Cigi staff evaluate wheat flour for use in oriental noodles. (Cigi photo)

Cigi, Cereals Canada vote to close merger deal

Merged body to take latter group's name; next step, naming a CEO

Reading Time: 2 minutes The proposed merger between Cigi and Cereals Canada has taken one of its final steps forward, with votes of approval from both organizations’ memberships. The two Winnipeg-based not-for-profit organizations announced Tuesday their memberships have approved “the amalgamation of both organizations under a unified governance and management structure.” Terms of the merger call for the consolidated […] Read more

Prairie cash wheat: Bids mostly stronger

Prairie cash wheat: Bids mostly stronger

Reading Time: 2 minutes MarketsFarm — Wheat bids in Western Canada were mostly stronger during the week ended Thursday, with gains observed in CWRS and CPSR wheats, while durum saw small losses. Average CWRS (Canada Western Red Spring, 13.5 per cent protein) wheat prices were up $2 per tonne, according to price quotes from a cross-section of delivery points […] Read more


Barley. (Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Feed weekly outlook: Strong demand supports prices

Reading Time: < 1 minute MarketsFarm — Feed grain prices on the Prairies have been stronger, and well supported by strong demand. Nelson Neumann of Agfinity in Lethbridge said strong feed barley prices were due to an uptick in exports from the Prairie provinces. “That provided a nice support to the price floor,” he said, noting market participants had previously […] Read more

Giving wheat midge a few susceptible wheat plants to feed on ensures that the resistant population doesn’t eventually take over.

A decade of midge-tolerant wheat

New varieties are in the pipeline for CWRS and SWS classes

Reading Time: 4 minutes Over the past 10 years, western Canadian farmers have deliberately seeded 27 million acres of wheat susceptible to orange blossom wheat midge — and saved themselves an estimated $1 billion in lost yield and quality. To be clear, only 10 per cent of the seed on those acres was susceptible to midge, and that’s been […] Read more


(Country Guide file photo)

Prairie cash wheat: Prices a mixed bag

U.S. futures, loonie down on week

Reading Time: 2 minutes MarketsFarm — Wheat bids in Western Canada saw gains and losses for the week ended Thursday, due to declines in U.S. markets and a lower Canadian dollar. Canada Western Red Spring (CWRS) wheat was mixed with some losses, but prices steady to higher in six of the Prairie regions. Canada Prairie Spring Red (CPSR) was […] Read more

(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Feed weekly outlook: Barley, wheat remain firm

Feed corn values follow U.S. ethanol lower

Reading Time: < 1 minute MarketsFarm — Prices for feed barley and wheat have firmed up across the Prairies amid the COVID-19 pandemic, said trader Allen Pirness of Market Place Commodities in Lethbridge. However, he also noted corn prices have fallen due to the steep decline in the U.S. ethanol industry. The Saudi Arabia/Russia crude oil price war put enormous […] Read more


(AHPhotoswpg/iStock/Getty Images)

Burnett on Markets: Home flour use soars during pandemic

That's led to increased demand for milling wheat -- at least temporarily

Reading Time: 2 minutes It is hard to miss the lack of flour in the grocery aisles lately as consumers stock up on the “essentials.” A number of stores are just rolling out the pallets of flour into the store and they are picked clean by the end of the day. The increased domestic use of flour does not […] Read more

A field sample of wild oat screened with three chemical families within the Group 1 mode of action by the Tardif lab. Note there is resistance observed when Puma (a “fop”) was applied, moderate resistance when Achieve (a “dim”) was applied and moderate susceptibility when Axial (a “den”) was applied.

Pest Patrol: Herbicide-resistant wild oats in spring cereals

#PestPatrol with Mike Cowbrough, OMAFRA

Reading Time: 4 minutes Q. Are there any solutions to control herbicide resistant wild oats in spring cereals? A. Wild oats have been an undesirable weed in spring cereal crops for many years, and its control has been limited to a handful of herbicides within the same mode of action (specifically, WSSA herbicide Group 1). Until recently, there have […] Read more