ICE July 2022 canola (candlesticks) with Bollinger bands (20,2) and November 2022 canola (yellow line). (Barchart)

ICE weekly outlook: Canola sideways for now

Reading Time: 2 minutes MarketsFarm — The ICE Futures canola market may have seen some large price swings over the past few weeks, but remains relatively rangebound overall with values sitting just below their all-time highs. The upward momentum is slowing down, said David Derwin, a commodities investment advisor with PI Financial in Winnipeg. However, he added, it remains […] Read more

Huawei Technologies’ logo is shown on its France headquarters at Boulogne-Billancourt just west of Paris on Feb. 17, 2021. (Photo: Reuters/Gonzalo Fuentes)

Canada to ban Huawei/ZTE 5G equipment, joining Five Eyes allies

Move comes as diplomatic tensions ease, canola block lifted

Reading Time: 2 minutes Ottawa | Reuters — Canada on Thursday said it plans to ban the use of China’s Huawei Technologies and ZTE Corp. 5G gear to protect national security, joining the rest of the so-called Five Eyes intelligence-sharing network. “We intend to exclude Huawei and ZTE from our 5G networks,” Industry Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne told reporters in […] Read more


ICE July 2022 canola (candlesticks) with Bollinger bands (20,2) and November 2022 canola (black line). (Barchart)

ICE weekly outlook: Highs might be in for old-crop canola

New crop in 'a very uncertain stage'

Reading Time: < 1 minute MarketsFarm — The highs may be in for old-crop canola contracts on the ICE Futures platform, with attention in the market turning to the new crop. “I think the market has probably defined the upside potential and the acute demand rationing that needed to occur is done,” said Jerry Klassen, an independent commodity trader and […] Read more

(Xinzheng/Getty Images)

China lifts block on Canadian grain firms’ canola exports

Canola from Richardson, Viterra again allowed, officials report

Reading Time: 2 minutes Officials say China has reinstated market access for two major grain firms whose exports of Canadian canola have been blocked from Chinese ports since 2019. Canada’s Trade Minister Mary Ng and Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau, in a joint statement Wednesday, confirmed the decision by Chinese customs officials allowing Richardson International and Viterra to resume canola […] Read more


Flea beetles in canola seedlings. (Canola Council of Canada video screengrab via YouTube)

Eastern Prairies’ wet conditions may curb insect pest risk

Late-seeded crops may germinate more quickly in warmer soils

Reading Time: 2 minutes MarketsFarm — If there could be one benefit to the excessive moisture across much of southern Manitoba and the Interlake region, that would be a potentially reduced risk for insect pests, according to John Gavloski, entomologist for Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Resource Development. For example, Gavloski cited flea beetles, which could damage canola. “If [canola] […] Read more

Corn seedlings in southern Ontario in 2021. (Farmtario photo by John Greig)

Spring planting well underway in Ontario

Reading Time: < 1 minute MarketsFarm — Farmers are well into seeding their crops for 2022, according to Wednesday’s crop report from Ontario’s Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA). The report noted planting of corn, soybeans and spring cereals started late last week — the exception being where there are heavier soils. OMAFRA projected planting could be 80 […] Read more


Red spring wheat. (File photo)

Mildew scrapped as grading factor for No. 3 wheats

Grading changes also planned for canola admixture, splits in peas, excreta in mustard

Reading Time: 2 minutes The Canadian Grain Commission will change its standard samples for mildew in No. 1 and No. 2 wheats, and drop it as a grading factor for No. 3 wheats, effective this summer. The CGC on Monday laid out a list of changes to its grain grading policies and standards for wheat, canola, peas, beans and […] Read more



(WWing/E+/Getty Images)

StatsCan reports sharp decline in field crop stocks

Stocks tighter than most traders had estimated

Reading Time: 2 minutes MarketsFarm — Statistics Canada’s report on the country’s principal field crop stocks, released Friday, reflects an ever-tightening supply brought on by last year’s drought. With the exception of corn and soybeans, all of the crops listed suffered a supply decline of at least 10 per cent compared to the year before, as of March 31. […] Read more

Cabbage seedpod weevil. Spraying only the border would mean less collateral damage to its enemies in the rest of the field.

Rethinking trap crops in canola

Shatter-resistant varieties may allow the theory to be put into practice

Reading Time: 3 minutes It’s the usual tradeoff: the agricultural research community has to balance promising new concepts in pest management against ease of use and efficiency gains for farmers. One such concept, an integrated pest management strategy called “trap cropping,” hasn’t always been an easy sell. The basic concept is that pests are controlled in a lower-value crop […] Read more