(Dave Bedard photo)

Federal forecast sees more oilseed acres, less in grains

Reading Time: 3 minutes Canadian farmers are expected to cut back the summerfallow allocation and put more acres in production this spring, planting more of those acres in oilseeds and fewer in grains and pulses. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s market analysis group on Monday released an outlook for principal field crops which, assuming a return to average or trend […] Read more

Durum is a type of wheat, but its prices can move much differently than for its bread wheat cousin.

Durum marketing 101

Durum is grown in a few distinct regions of the world, and problems in just one can mean a sharp change in prices

Reading Time: 4 minutes If you’re selling bread wheat — Triticum aestivum — there’s a new price signal literally every second as it’s traded on futures markets. If you’re selling its cousin T. durum, finding a fair value is another matter. There’s no viable futures market for durum wheat, and there can be days or even weeks between trades […] Read more


wheat heads

Russia’s (grain) strengths… and weaknesses

Reading Time: 2 minutes Strengths Russia is blessed with many advantages that strengthen its position as a wheat exporter: Russian wheat production is in close proximity to Egypt and Turkey — two of the world’s largest wheat importing markets. There is ample arable land — Russia possesses almost 10 per cent of the world’s arable land (122 m ha). […] Read more



(Country Guide file photo)

Weaker loonie underpins Prairie wheat bids

Reading Time: 2 minutes CNS Canada — Cash spring wheat and durum bids in Western Canada moved higher during the week ended Monday, as weakness in the Canadian dollar helped underpin basis levels. Depending on the location, average Canada Western Red Spring (CWRS) wheat prices were up $1-$5 per tonne compared to the previous week. Average prices ranged from […] Read more

(Weatherfarm.com)

Wet weather threatens lentils, durum

Reading Time: < 1 minute CNS Canada — Wet weather across the Prairies has put a damper on the region’s crop prospects, according to one weather specialist. While drying events in coming weeks will limit further quality declines, it’s not expected to do so as much as some producers would like. “It’s really quite wet in some locations, and it’s […] Read more


Yulia Borsuk, Cigi’s technical specialist in baking (l), demonstrates the properties of Canadian wheat at a bakery in Peru.

Promoting Canadian wheat in Latin America

Customers in Peru and Chile like the quality of CWRS, and are interested in more CPSR

Reading Time: 3 minutes For several years Latin American customers of Canadian wheat and durum have met with technical staff from the Canadian International Grains Institute to learn about analytical techniques and processes to evaluate wheat and flour quality. Most recently representatives from Cigi’s baking, milling and analytical services areas spent time in Chile and Peru. While in Chile, […] Read more

(Country Guide file photo)

Prairie wheat bids tick downward

Reading Time: 2 minutes CNS Canada –– Spring wheat cash bids across Western Canada recorded minor losses during the week ended Friday. The declines were traced to weakness in U.S. futures and some minor strengthening in the Canadian dollar. Depending on the location, average Canada Western Red Spring (CWRS) wheat prices were down $3 per tonne, according to price […] Read more


(Country Guide file photo)

Prairie wheat bids soften with U.S. futures

Reading Time: 2 minutes CNS Canada — Spring wheat cash bids across Western Canada softened during the week ended Friday, as a downturn in U.S. futures put pressure on prices. Depending on the location, average Canada Western Red Spring (CWRS) wheat prices were down by roughly $5 per tonne, according to price quotes from a cross-section of delivery points […] Read more

Durum wheat. (Gipsa.usda.gov)

Durum strays from typical patterns ahead of new crop

Reading Time: < 1 minute CNS Canada — The durum market has moved off from its normal patterns heading into summer, one market analyst says, while exports are trending lower on the year. “It’s a very unique situation because we’ve got bigger crops coming,” said Jerry Klassen, manager of the Canadian office for Swiss-based GAP SA Grains and Produits. France, […] Read more