Canola plants in flower in a field north of Lorette, Man. on July 20, 2022. (Dave Bedard photo)

Fund short position steady in canola

The managed money net short position in canola futures held steady during the week ended May 21, according to the latest Commitments of Traders report from the United States Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).



(Photo: DMathies/iStock/Getty Images)

Manitoba seeding progress nears halfway mark

Spring seeding in Manitoba neared the halfway mark during the week ended May 21, with 47 per cent of intended acres in the ground, according to the latest provincial crop report. That compares with 30 per cent the previous week and the five-year average of 52 per cent done.

Photo: Greg Berg

AAFC raises canola carryout projections, wheat to tighten

Canadian canola exports in both 2023/24 and the upcoming new crop year are unlikely to live up to earlier expectations, causing ending stocks of the oilseed to rise, according to updated supply/demand estimates from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), released May 21.





Photo: Canstock

Canada’s crush boom to benefit Aussie canola

A significant increase in domestic crush capacity is expected to lower exports and reduce competition for Australia

Commonwealth Bank of Australia is forecasting reduced competition from its main competitor and continued strong demand from its top export market.

Cross-section of an infected canola plant root. Verticillium fungus spreads upward through a plant’s vascular tissues and can create this sort of discolouration, which looks somewhat similar to blackleg.

Keep verticillium stripe in focus this year

Practical Research: Don't let the fungi hitchhike between fields on your equipment -- or anyone else's

Where did such a destructive disease come from? Verticillium stripe was first reported in Manitoba in 2014, some 10 years ago. The fungus, Verticillium longisporum, has now been confirmed present in six provinces: British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec. In a survey in 2023 across Manitoba, verticillium stripe was found in 38 per […] Read more



Ergot is best recognized in the field as black or dark purple sclerotia sticking out of a floret.

How a worldwide destructive cereal disease problem was solved in Alberta

In the story of ergot in wheat, barley and oats, the answer was simply 'copper'

When I was first hired by Alberta Agriculture as a diagnostic plant pathologist, I was told I would be primarily responsible for barley, oat, wheat and canola diseases. I was also asked to head up the provincial control program for bacterial ring rot of potato (BRR). The BRR program, run in partnership with the federal […] Read more