A supplied aerial photo of vehicles blocking through traffic on Feb. 1, 2022 at the Canada-U.S. border crossing between Coutts, Alta. and Sweet Grass, Montana. (Photo courtesy Alberta RCMP)

Single lanes opened at Alberta border crossing, Mounties say

RCMP 'acknowledges the work that is being done'

Reading Time: 2 minutes Single lanes have reopened in each direction at Alberta’s busiest Canada-U.S. trade window, allowing cross-border supply chains to resume, RCMP report. In response to “concerned citizens in the area of Coutts,” participants in a blockade of vehicles in place at the local border crossing “made the decision to open a lane going northbound and southbound […] Read more

Lentils. (Seb_ra/iStock/Getty Images)

Pulse weekly outlook: Lentil prices decline, may shift in spring

Reading Time: 2 minutes MarketsFarm — Prices for Canadian lentils, along with other pulses in the country, have slightly declined since the start of 2022. However, one pulse buyer thinks the next few months can recharge the market. Lionel Ector, president of Diefenbaker Spice and Pulse at Elbow, Sask., explained that a good Australian lentil harvest in December has […] Read more


File photo of lentils being moved into bins in Saskatchewan. (Bobloblaw/iStock/Getty Images)

Pulse weekly outlook: Early signs point to larger Canadian crops

Reading Time: < 1 minute MarketsFarm — Early signs point to a sizeable increase in Canadian pulse production in 2022-23, but co-operative weather will be needed to meet those expectations. Strong returns over the past year relative to other crops should encourage farmers to seed more peas and lentils in 2022, according to the first outlook for the new crop […] Read more

(FotografiaBasica/E+/Getty Images)

Study finds no data to show change in butter consistency

Not enough data to link to palm supplement use, either

Reading Time: 4 minutes Updated, Jan. 24 — A panel tasked with reviewing complaints of changes in Canadian butter’s consistency has found there’s not enough data out there to support those complaints — nor to support the allegation that palm byproducts in cows’ rations were the cause. The Expert Working Group on Feed Supplementation, set up by Dairy Farmers […] Read more


(Video screengrab from CBSA-asfc.gc.ca)

Vaccine mandate to lead to inflation, empty shelves, trucking executives say

Parallel mandate for U.S. entry starts Saturday

Reading Time: 3 minutes Ottawa | Reuters — Canadian consumers should soon see higher prices and some empty shelves in supermarkets and other retail outlets because of disruptions stemming from a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for cross-border truckers, top trucking executives warned this week. The mandate, imposed by Ottawa to help curb the spread of the virus, has cost six […] Read more

Galbi, a Korean dish made with beef short ribs. (JaysonPhotography/iStock/Getty Images)

South Korea lifts temporary suspension of Canadian beef

Reading Time: < 1 minute Reuters — South Korea is lifting its temporary suspension of Canadian beef imports that it imposed after Canada detected a case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in December, federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau said Wednesday. South Korea halted the shipments after Canada last month reported its first BSE case in six years. China and the […] Read more


CBOT March 2022 oats (candlesticks) with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages (yellow, brown and dark green lines). (Barchart)

Oat prices, acres to rise in 2022, analyst says

Reading Time: 3 minutes MarketsFarm — An independent crop market analyst told Saskatchewan oat growers he is bullish for the crop in 2022. Brennan Turner, founder and former CEO of online crop marketing platforms FarmLead and Combyne Ag, delivered a presentation at the Saskatchewan Oat Development Commission’s (SaskOats) annual general meeting in Saskatoon on Wednesday. Turner, a Foam Lake […] Read more

A view near the Canadian end of the Ambassador Bridge, which connects Windsor and Detroit and is considered one of North America’s busiest trade routes. (Steven_Kriemadis/iStock/Getty Images)

Cross-border supply chains still may face disruptions from vaccine mandates

Reading Time: 2 minutes CLARIFIED, Jan. 13 — Ottawa/Washington | Reuters — COVID-19 vaccine requirements for foreign truckers at the U.S.-Canada border still could cause supply-chain disruptions if both countries do not decide to allow exemptions, the head of the Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA) said Thursday. Canadian truck drivers who aren’t vaccinated may enter Canada by right — but […] Read more


File photo of a chickpea crop in India. (Nikhil Patil/iStock/Getty Images)

Pulse weekly outlook: Chickpea prices reverse direction

Markets correcting lower, buyer says

Reading Time: 2 minutes MarketsFarm — The chickpea market in Western Canada is undergoing a correction, according to the manager of a pulse buying and processing company in Saskatchewan. With the exception of Desi chickpeas, all varieties of the pulse have seen prices go down two to five cents per pound over the past month, according to Prairie Ag […] Read more

(Flax Council of Canada photo)

Highs may be in on flax as attention turns to new crop

Reading Time: 2 minutes MarketsFarm — The highs may be in for flaxseed bids in Western Canada, with end-users covered for the time being as attention turns to the 2022 crop. “(Canadian flax) is expensive relative to other markets,” said analyst Marlene Boersch of Mercantile Consulting, speaking via Zoom in Winnipeg on Tuesday to the annual Crop Production Week […] Read more