File photo of a combine harvesting a wheat crop in Ukraine. (SergBob/iStock/Getty Images)

Demand from China puts Ukraine barley above top-end milling wheat

Reading Time: < 1 minute Kyiv | Reuters — Prices for Ukrainian-origin barley from this year’s harvest have exceeded those of high quality milling wheat due to strong demand from China, analysts at APK-Inform said on Friday. Forward contract prices for 2021 harvest barley stood at $220-$230 a tonne c.p.t. (carriage paid to) Black Sea June-July delivery, while high-quality milling […] Read more




Higgins winter barley in southern Alberta on July 6, 2019. Stamp Seeds has discontinued trials of this variety due to winterkill concerns, but is currently running a demonstration plot of a promising new two-row European variety.

Barley getting through the winter

The search for hardy varieties continues, both in Eastern and Western Canada

Reading Time: 4 minutes Winter barley produces a higher-yielding, lower-moisture grain than spring-seeded barley. It’s appealing as a forage crop, as a cover crop and as a means of diversifying rotations. But in most of Canada, there’s just one problem — winter. In Europe, winter malting barley is favoured over spring barley for its longer growing season and ability […] Read more


Which crops were hot in 2020, and what was not

Which crops were hot in 2020, and what was not

Annual summary shows the most popular cereal varieties across the Prairies

Reading Time: 3 minutes Using statistics from the provincial crop insurance corporations, the Canadian Grain Commission has released its annual summary of the most-insured cereal varieties for the previous growing season. In most cases, we’re listing only the top 10 reported varieties — for a full list visit the CGC website. Wheat Prairie-wide, Canada Western Red Spring (CWRS) remains […] Read more

(Jack Dykinga photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

Prairie farm slapped with plant breeders’ rights infringement penalties

Farmers need to know who they are buying seed from to avoid potentially significant costs

Reading Time: 3 minutes Infringing on Plant Breeders’ Rights (PBR) has cost a large southern Alberta farm a record $737,597. “The settlement relates to unauthorized advertisements and sales of PBR-protected barley and wheat varieties,” Alliance Seed, SeCan and an unnamed seed company said in a news release Wednesday. The settlement “includes the royalties, plus legal fees and penalties,” Todd […] Read more


(Bob_bosewell/iStock/Getty Images)

Farmers’ net cash income improves as crop prices soar

Reading Time: < 1 minute Winnipeg | Reuters — Canadian farmers reaped record profits last year and are on track to do the same this year, the federal agriculture ministry said on Thursday, as prices for its top crops soared. Prices of canola hit all-time highs this month, rallying with oilseed rival soybeans, on brisk Chinese buying to produce feed […] Read more

(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Feed weekly outlook: Barley, wheat at par in Alberta

Demand also seen for heated canola

Reading Time: < 1 minute MarketsFarm — Prices for feed barley and wheat are running about the same, from where Susanne Leclerc sits at Market Master Ltd. in Edmonton. Barley and wheat going into central Alberta were both running at $315 per tonne, she said. “We’re seeing buyer strength gaining coverage for the summer,” she said, but noted trading activity […] Read more


(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Feed weekly outlook: Demand strong for Canadian wheat

Reading Time: < 1 minute MarketsFarm — Domestically-grown feed wheat is seeing stronger prices and increased demand — but unlike other commodities, the demand is coming from Canada itself. Wheat has become a more desirable crop for feed rations in recent months as barley prices have risen due to increasing exports to China. With less barley available to feedlots, wheat […] Read more

(WPohlDesign/iStock/Getty Images)

Klassen: Cold weather slows feeder cattle market activity

Reading Time: 2 minutes Compared to last week, western Canadian feeder cattle prices were relatively unchanged. Extreme temperatures blanketed Western Canada last week. Many auction barns cancelled sales or had limited numbers on offer. Buyers attended sales either in person or via the internet, which was supportive to the overall price structure. Many backgrounders and cow-calf producers delayed sales […] Read more