(AvenaFoods.com)

Prairie processors plan gluten-free partnership

Reading Time: 2 minutes A Saskatchewan firm processing gluten-free oats is pairing up with a Manitoba pulse miller to expand Prairie producers’ space in the certified gluten-free market. Portage la Prairie-based Best Cooking Pulses and Regina-based Avena Foods on Monday announced a new partnership agreement they say will boost cross-selling and market penetration. Financial terms of the partnership, which […] Read more

Figure 2: Berries were sorted out of the oat sample and weighed, revealing that the nightshade berries comprised one per cent of the total sample weight.

Pest Patrol: Can I feed eastern black nightshade berries to my beef cows?

#PestPatrol with Mike Cowbrough, OMAFRA

Reading Time: 3 minutes [Question]: Find enclosed a sample of oats that I harvested with a considerable amount of eastern black nightshade berries. Is it all right to feed this to my beef cows? [Answer]: If your desire is to have no risk of negative health impacts on your livestock, then do not feed the contaminated oats to your […] Read more


Linda Hall is looking for the right combination of variety choice and agronomic practices to make oats more attractive to growers in central Alberta.

The Catch-22 of oat production

Tests in central Alberta yield some useful information on N rates and the effectiveness of plant growth regulators

Reading Time: 4 minutes Linda Hall has a soft spot for the humble oat, mainly because she doesn’t think it’s really all that humble. “Milling oats are a high-value crop,” Hall says. “We’re seeing companies like Richardson buying up oat milling capacity, so the markets are there if we can grow the right kind of oat.” It all depends […] Read more

(Doug Wilson photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

Oat prices keep firm as harvest rolls in

Reading Time: < 1 minute CNS Canada — Oat prices firmed this week in Saskatchewan as reports streamed in indicating yields were slightly better than anticipated. Harvest in Saskatchewan is over three-quarters complete, although recent rains have delayed that progress somewhat. The province is the dominant growing area for Canadian oats. Bids rose five cents to a range of $2.33 […] Read more


(OatMillers.com)

Confidence seen in oat sector with Richardson deal

Reading Time: 2 minutes CNS Canada –– Richardson International’s decision to buy British-based European Oat Millers is seen as a strong sign of confidence in the oats sector, even if it has little effect on Prairie farmers. “I think it’s very positive. We’re seeing lots of activity in the oats industry,” Art Enns, president of the Prairie Oat Growers […] Read more

(OatMillers.com)

Canada’s Richardson buys European Oat Millers

Reading Time: < 1 minute Winnipeg | Reuters –– Richardson International, one of Canada’s largest grain handlers, said Monday it had purchased European Oat Millers in a deal that expands its geographic reach. The acquisition of European Oat Millers, the second-largest oat miller in Europe, closed on June 15, Richardson said in a statement. Both companies are privately owned. Winnipeg-based […] Read more


(Doug Wilson photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

Prairie oats at tipping point

Reading Time: 2 minutes CNS Canada –– Seeding delays in Western Canada could see more area shift into oats, which need a shorter growing season and minimal inputs compared to other options. However, with many fields still unharvested from last year, a tipping point will eventually be reached when nothing will be seeded at all in some areas. In […] Read more

Crown rust is considered one of the worst crop diseases since its strains can mutate to acquire new virulence and resistance.

Crown rust comes after oats

Part of the management challenge comes from its sources and its choice as a cover crop

Reading Time: 5 minutes In a production agriculture world where corn and soybeans have dominated the scene for much of the last 25 years, oats are supposedly one of the forgotten crops. There have been attempts to revive the grain’s standing, including the formation of the Oat and Barley Council of Ontario back in the early 2000s, as well […] Read more


(Doug Wilson photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

Yorkton, Sask. oat plant moves on major expansion

Reading Time: < 1 minute U.S. processing firm Grain Millers Inc. is pressing ahead on the second phase of a previously announced expansion at its Yorkton, Sask. oat processing plant. The company on Friday announced the “initiation” of the second phase of the expansion, which overall is expected to cost $100 million and boost the plant’s annual output by 80,000 […] Read more

(Doug Wilson photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

Wheat disease risk sees farmers looking to oats

Reading Time: < 1 minute CNS Canada — Canadian farmers are showing an increased interest in seeding oats this spring, despite a lack of activity from a pricing standpoint, as quality concerns in wheat and barley have growers looking to other cereals. “We are seeing a huge influx of acres into oats,” said Scott Shiels, grain procurement merchant with Grain […] Read more