Reading Time: 7 minutes Is the Canadian grains sector being out-marketed globally? This is a question that has nagged me since February 16, the date the Australian Export Grains Innovation Centre released new information brochures for Australian wheat, barley, oats, canola and pulses. “These publications are aimed at international purchasers of Australian grain,” the association (AEGIC) said in its […] Read more
Out-competed
Again, the Australians are showing us how we’d market our crops if we had our act together
Klassen: Feedlots struggle through adverse weather
Reading Time: 2 minutes Western Canadian yearling prices experienced a week-over-week decline of $5-$8 with some pockets deteriorating $10 to as much as $12. Adverse weather in southern Alberta has resulted in limited buying interest from main feedlot operators. Feedlot Alley has received 150-200 per cent of normal precipitation over the past 60 days. Snow and rain, along with […] Read more
Maltsters keen on promising new barley varieties
The recommended malting list for 2018 contains varieties with better agronomics than Copeland and Metcalfe
Reading Time: 4 minutes For a change, it’s not just farmers who are eagerly greeting new malting barley varieties. Maltsters, too, are singing the praises of emerging varieties intended to replace the big two. The Canadian Malting Barley Technical Centre’s 2018-19 list of recommended malting barley varieties emphasizes growing demand for AAC Synergy, plus two new varieties, AAC Connect […] Read more
Pork exports key in 2018 as U.S. slaughter ramps up
Reading Time: 2 minutes CNS Canada –– Canadian pork producers should see higher returns for their product in the spring of 2018, but whether those prices last may determine how successful Canada is at tapping new markets. According to U.S. Department of Agriculture supply estimates, weekly U.S. hog slaughter numbers over the past two months have averaged 2.369 million […] Read more
Alberta malt barley quality looking good
Reading Time: < 1 minute CNS Canada — Despite a wet spring and problems with dryness in the summer, barley in central Alberta is looking fairly good, according to a grower in the Red Deer area. “We had a really good malt crop this year, the quality is excellent,” said Matt Hamill of Red Shed Malting at Red Deer. “It […] Read more
Heat LQ cleared for pre-harvest use in wheat, barley
Reading Time: 2 minutes Wheat, durum and barley growers have a new pre-harvest herbicide option now that BASF has received Codex maximum residue limits (MRLs) for its product Heat LQ. While “there were probably some wheat acres already harvested,” according to Dan Packer, BASF’s cereals crop manager, this agreement will provide an additional pre-harvest option for farmers who still […] Read more
Something old for something new
This century-old malt barley variety is set to launch a renaissance in the brewing sector
Reading Time: 6 minutes *[Updated with email comment at bottom: Aug. 25, 2017] The key to branding any product is to start with a good story, and the recently re-instated registration of OAC21, a six-rowed malting barley, is a “feel good” story, particularly with Canada’s 150th anniversary in 2017. On its own, OAC21 isn’t expected to ever become a huge […] Read more
Malt barley outlook promising, but harvest quality will be key
Reading Time: 3 minutes CNS Canada – Many questions remain about Western Canada’s malt barley crop, but many analysts appear to expect at least an adequate harvest. Quality concerns and yield reductions will hit farmers in southern areas, but for those with good quality, prices should remain at least steady for the medium term. While analysts cautioned that forecasts […] Read more
Prairie wheat, barley commissions’ single checkoffs set
Reading Time: 2 minutes The post-deregulation era of Prairie grain research and market development funding is cleared to begin, as the three Prairie provinces’ wheat and barley commissions have set new single checkoffs on Prairie wheat and barley, all starting Aug. 1. The Manitoba Wheat and Barley Growers Association (MWBGA) on Wednesday announced that when the Western Canadian Deduction […] Read more
StatsCan data confirm tight canola supplies
Reading Time: 3 minutes CNS Canada — Grain and oilseed stocks data released Friday from Statistics Canada were bullish for canola and wheat — though analysts suggest the effects of the report on the market may be short-lived. Figures for barley, lentils and peas were above year-ago levels, but movements in those markets are more likely be driven by […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
