(Dave Bedard photo)

StatsCan’s canola forecast deemed supportive

Reading Time: 2 minutes CNS Canada — A summer of dryness and sizzling heat has apparently taken its toll on canola plants in many areas of Western Canada, according to the latest crop production estimate from Statistics Canada. In a survey compiled in the latter days of July and released Friday, Statistics Canada pegged canola production for 2018-19 at […] Read more

Barley. (Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Klassen: Feeder market eyes feed grain prices

Reading Time: 2 minutes Compared to last week, western Canadian yearling markets were $4 on either side of unchanged and the market was quite variable across the Prairies. Strength was noted early in the week but feedlot operators pulled in the reins on Thursday and Friday. Strength in the barley market along with lower feeder cattle prices south of […] Read more


Barley south of Ethelton, Sask. on Aug. 3, 2017. (Dave Bedard photo)

Feed weekly outlook: Shortages expected for Prairie barley

Reading Time: 2 minutes CNS Canada — Sales have slowed for feed grain buyers in Western Canada, as concerns continue to mount about feed shortages. “The confidence from the farmer is not (there anymore). He just wants to see some crop come into his bin. So we’ve definitely slowed in our buying,” said Brandon Motz, sales manager at CorNine […] Read more

Photo: File

Early harvest pressures Prairie barley prices

Reading Time: 2 minutes CNS Canada — Barley prices in Western Canada are falling as an early harvest is weighing on values. “Prices have moderated here,” said Allen Pirness of Market Place Commodities Ltd. Lethbridge, Alta. The surprise rally from last week ended as quickly as it began. Prices which started last week at about C$250 per tonne were […] Read more


A barley field in France. (Anneke DeBlok/iStock/Getty Images)

France to the rescue as drought hits EU barley crop

Reading Time: 2 minutes Hamburg | Reuters — Drought has seriously damaged barley harvests in northern Europe, potentially tightening supplies of animal feed and malt for beer brewing, but a decent crop in France could save the day, experts said on Thursday. “There are painful crop losses in Germany, Poland, Britain and Scandinavia,” one German trader said. “The volume […] Read more



The fireplace where the bread was found is in the middle of this stone structure at the Shubayqa 1 site. (Alexis Pantos photo, News.ku.dk)

World’s oldest bread found at prehistoric site in Jordan

Reading Time: 2 minutes Washington | Reuters — Charred remains of a flatbread baked about 14,500 years ago in a stone fireplace at a site in northeastern Jordan have given researchers a delectable surprise: people began making bread, a vital staple food, millennia before they developed agriculture. No matter how you slice it, the discovery detailed on Monday shows […] Read more

(Dave Bedard photo)

Canadian canola area likely above earlier projection

Reading Time: 2 minutes CNS Canada — Canadian farmers likely seeded more canola in 2018 than initial expectations, but industry participants generally expect to see only minor adjustments when Statistics Canada releases its latest acreage estimates on Friday. “Our idea is that the canola seeded area number is higher than initially reported,” said Jon Driedger of FarmLink Marketing Solutions. […] Read more


Whether you were for it or against, a proper study has never done to measure the impact of the end of the Canadian Wheat Board.

Why don’t we know?

Whether you were in favour of changing the CWB or against it, isn’t it time we get clear, unbiased answers about what the impact has been?

Reading Time: 6 minutes Ask any western grain farmer what is significant about August 1, 2012, and most will tell you it was the day the federal government eliminated the Canadian Wheat Board monopoly on the sale and export of wheat and barley from Western Canada. Some farmers will refer to it as the “grain marketing freedom day.” Others […] Read more

(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Klassen: Stronger demand sustains feeder cattle market

Reading Time: 2 minutes Western Canadian feeder cattle markets were relatively unchanged from week-ago levels. Feeder cattle numbers are declining at this time of year, so those buyers looking to secure ownership had to be more aggressive. Higher-quality packages were available in Saskatchewan, which traded at a small premium to Alberta markets. In central and southern Alberta, there appeared […] Read more