Agriculture Weather & Forecast

U.S. grains: Spring wheat futures climb on weather worries

By Julie Ingwersen June 5, 2017

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. spring wheat futures traded on the Minneapolis Grain Exchange (MGEX) closed higher on Monday for a fourth straight session on fears of hot, dry weather in the northern Plains, while corn and soybean futures ended fractionally higher. MGEX July spring wheat ended up 5-1/4 cents at $5.89 per bushel and […] Read more

Crops, Markets, Reuters, Weather

U.S. grains: Minneapolis wheat surges on northern Plains dryness

By Julie Ingwersen June 2, 2017

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. spring wheat futures set a 5-1/2-month high on Friday, buoyed by expanding dryness in the northern Plains production belt, analysts said. Minneapolis Grain Exchange July spring wheat settled up five cents at $5.83-3/4 per bushel after reaching $5.90, the highest spot price since mid-January (all figures US$). The spot contract […] Read more

(Screengrab from Lake Huron Centre for Coastal Conservation video via YouTube)

Crops, Weather

Ontario watershed study shows overapplication of phosphorus

By John Greig June 1, 2017

Reading Time: 3 minutes Farmers in one Huron County, Ont. watershed are applying almost exactly the nitrogen needed by their crops, but more than 30 per cent more phosphorus than is needed. University of Guelph researchers reached the conclusions by analyzing multiple years of data collected by the Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority during in-person interviews with farmers in the […] Read more

Keith Coble, of Mississippi State University, says there may be overexuberance in the agriculture technology market. (John Greig photo)

Crops, Machinery, Weather

Greig: Farmer trust key to big data’s future

By John Greig May 29, 2017

Reading Time: 3 minutes The marketplace for precision agriculture technology is sorting itself out, but it still has a way to go before it will be mature and have predictable uses for farmers, says a U.S. agriculture economist. Dr. Keith Coble, chair of the Mississippi State University’s department of agricultural economics, says we’re in the “overexuberance” phase of technology […] Read more

Emergence in an Ontario soybean field. (File photo by John Greig)

Corn, Crops, Fruit/Vegetables, Soybeans, Weather

Greig: Late spring planting means more soybeans in Ontario

By John Greig May 26, 2017

Reading Time: 3 minutes Ontario farmers are stopped across most of the province as consistently wet weather holds up planting and pushes farmers to plant more soybeans instead of corn. Significantly higher than normal rain in southern Ontario and record rainfall between Toronto and Ottawa mean that near the end of May, corn planting isn’t complete and there remains […] Read more

Crops, Reuters, Weather

Soggy forecast worries Prairie farmers in race to seed crops

By Rod Nickel May 23, 2017

Reading Time: 2 minutes Winnipeg | Reuters — Heavy rain forecast for the soggiest parts of the Prairies this week is likely to further delay seeding in the world’s biggest canola-exporting country, meteorologists say. The rain, forecast to hit Alberta and Saskatchewan on Wednesday and Thursday respectively, would be the latest blow to farmers who could not harvest all […] Read more

Crops, Markets, Reuters, Weather

U.S. grains: Corn, soybeans rise after rains

By Mark Weinraub May 22, 2017

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Board of Trade corn and soybean futures rose on Monday morning, supported by concerns that rain will delay field work in key growing areas and may damage some recently seeded crops, traders said. “Grain futures are trying to start the week higher across the board following a soggy weekend across […] Read more

Crops, Weather

Quebec sets up single line for flooded farmers

By Country Guide Staff May 22, 2017

Reading Time: < 1 minute Quebec farmers whose operations have been hit by flooding in recent weeks will have a single number to call for provincial support starting Tuesday. The province’s agriculture ministry (MAPAQ), public security ministry (MSP) and ag lending agency, la Financiere agricole du Quebec (FADQ) on Friday announced a “concerted effort” to manage supports for flood-affected farms. […] Read more

The Svalbard Global Seed Vault, built in Norway in 2008, is the world’s largest secure seed storage site. (Matthias Heyde photo courtesy Government of Norway via Flickr)

Crops, Reuters, Weather

‘Doomsday’ seed vault entrance repaired after thaw of Arctic ice

By Alister Doyle May 21, 2017

Reading Time: 2 minutes Oslo | Reuters — Norway is repairing the entrance of a “doomsday” seed vault on an Arctic island after an unexpected thaw of permafrost let water into a building meant as a deep freeze to safeguard the world’s food supplies. The water, limited to the 15-metre entrance hall in the melt late last year, had […] Read more

New growth on a canola plant following a frost indicates the seedling has survived. (Canola Council of Canada photo)

Canola, Crops, Weather

Take time to judge frost damage on canola

By Country Guide Staff May 19, 2017

Reading Time: 2 minutes After temperatures Thursday dropped as low as -5 C in parts of Manitoba and Saskatchewan, growers who’ve already seeded may be wondering whether emerging canola plants have survived. It’s best not to write off those seedlings right away, according to the Canola Council of Canada in a Canola Watch newsletter on Friday. It can take […] Read more

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