Reading Time: < 1 minute MarketsFarm — Colder-than-normal temperatures are in the long-range forecast across Western Canada over the next three months, while much of Eastern Canada should be warmer. The latest seasonal forecast from Environment Canada, released Friday, calls for a 50 to 90 per cent chance of below-normal temperatures from January through March for the four western provinces. […] Read more

Colder-than-normal Prairie winter forecast

Prairie winter weather a sign of La Nina repeat
Full effects won't be seen for a while yet
Reading Time: 2 minutes MarketsFarm — December marks the start of what meteorologists call “meteorological winter” — and this winter, the Pacific Ocean phenomenon known as La Nina may be rearing its head once again. La Nina (Spanish for “little girl”) is a climate pattern detected over the Pacific every few years where cooler water pools at the equator […] Read more

Pulse weekly outlook: Small Canadian crops lead to marketing shift
Reading Time: 2 minutes MarketsFarm — Canadian pulse markets could see a ‘radical shift’ in the current crop year as drought conditions led to sharp reductions in pea and lentil production. Statistics Canada’s September principal field crop estimates, released Tuesday, and the previous report on Aug. 30 were determined by yield models using satellite imagery. MarketsFarm Pro analyst Mike […] Read more

Oat crop across Western Canada ‘not stellar’
Reading Time: 2 minutes MarketsFarm — As with most other crops on the Prairies, conditions are “not stellar” for oats, according to Shawna Mathieson, executive director for the Prairie Oat Growers Association. POGA directors from across the region who participated in a recent board meeting had a rather grim outlook on the coming harvest, she said. “Not a single […] Read more

Indigenous-led ag projects get federal funding
Funding to support business planning and other studies
Reading Time: 2 minutes Sixteen projects to help support Indigenous-led food system initiatives will receive $4 million from the federal government. “Our government is working to create a more inclusive agriculture sector that respects the values of Indigenous Peoples,” Agriculture Minister Marie Claude Bibeau said in a statement Friday. “These investments are intended to ensure that Indigenous Peoples have […] Read more

Oats riding high with other crops
Reading Time: 2 minutes MarketsFarm — Increased demand, both domestically and overseas, has caused the price of oats grown in Western Canada to rise compared to last year. And so far, seeding projections and rising prices for other crops suggest the market for oats won’t go down anytime soon. According to Prairie Ag Hotwire data from Wednesday, high-delivered bids […] Read more

Grain handler group seeks Vancouver port governance overhaul
The WGEA, whose members ship most of Western Canada's grain, complain the port is in a conflict of interest as both developer and regulator
Reading Time: 6 minutes Vancouver, Canada’s biggest port and the most important to Western Canada’s economy, needs major changes in how it operates, the Western Grain Elevator Association (WGEA) says. As a statutory monopoly the port authority is both a port developer and regulator putting it in a conflict of interest, according to WGEA executive director Wade Sobkowich. “We […] Read more

Seasonal forecast calls for more snow
Reading Time: < 1 minute MarketsFarm — Most of Canada should see above-normal snowfall over the next three months, according to updated seasonal forecasts released Monday from Environment Canada. Weather maps show a 40 to 60 per cent probability of more precipitation than normal across much of the country from December through February, with the heaviest accumulations expected in Quebec. […] Read more

Feed weekly outlook: Prairie grain market steady, for now
Reading Time: < 1 minute MarketsFarm — The feed grain market in Western Canada remains firm for the time being, but the uncertainty of outside influences makes it difficult to predict where values will go from here. “It is so hard to gauge,” said Susanne Leclerc, owner of Market Master Ltd. in Edmonton, adding “I don’t think anybody can predict […] Read more

Canola shipments boost Thunder Bay port activity
Reading Time: < 1 minute MarketsFarm — Cargo movement through the Port of Thunder Bay is running ahead of the previous year’s pace, with some of the extra movement tied to increased canola exports to Europe, according to the latest data from the port authority. Total cargo movement in September of 1.1 million tonnes compares with the 919,386 tonnes reported […] Read more