In high-risk areas where a crop is stalled and flea beetles are feeding aggressively, the action threshold of 25 per cent may be met and surpassed within hours. In a situation like this, growers may want to spray at less than 25 per cent leaf area loss, giving the crop a chance to get through the day a little stronger, offers CCC’s Curtis Rempel.

Flea beetles: how to improve spray results

Five important tips when applying foliar insecticides

You’ve probably heard this before: the best defence against flea beetles is a canola crop that emerges uniformly, with five to eight plants per square foot, and grows quickly to the four-leaf stage. Weather conditions often conspire against these best laid plans, pushing canola growers to plan B: foliar insecticide. Farmers get particularly frustrated when […] Read more

ICE July 2023 canola with 20- and 50-day moving averages. (Barchart)

ICE weekly outlook: Canola showing independent strength

Prairie weather uncertainty supportive

MarketsFarm — ICE Futures’ canola market saw some independent strength relative to other oilseeds during the week ended Wednesday, as speculative positioning and the need to ration tight old-crop supplies provided support. Canadian canola stocks as of March 31 were pegged at 5.95 million tonnes by Statistics Canada in a report released Tuesday. That was […] Read more


(Dave Bedard photo)

Latest StatCan stocks report ‘least important of them all’

Wheat, canola numbers not expected to have significant impact on markets

MarketsFarm — For MarketsFarm Pro analyst Mike Jubinville, there was little in the latest Statistics Canada (StatCan) grain stocks report that would budge the markets. “When I look at the run of StatCan reports that we get through the year, whether they’re acreage, production or ending stocks, this report in May is the least important […] Read more

(Gassen/iStock/Getty Images)

Canada will not be intimidated by China retaliation, Trudeau says

China seen as 'more sensitive about food security' now, CAPI says

Ottawa | Reuters — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Tuesday said Canada will not be intimidated by China following tit-for-tat diplomatic expulsions by Ottawa and Beijing. Ottawa expelled Chinese diplomat Zhao Wei on Monday over allegations related to foreign interference, and hours later, China asked a Canadian diplomat in Shanghai to leave by Saturday in […] Read more


Wheat midge could be a concern this year in both Saskatchewan and Alberta.

Prairie insect pest outlook for 2023

Grasshoppers top the threat list but flea beetles, wheat midge, lygus bug, cutworms, bertha army worm and wheat stem sawfly are also risks in some areas

The Prairie Pest Monitoring Network (PPMN) warns grasshoppers could be a problem for producers in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta if hot, dry conditions during the growing season persist into 2023. The network’s annual grasshopper survey is conducted in late summer and early fall by estimating the density of adult insects, usually in ditches along cereal […] Read more

(File photo by Dave Bedard)

Canola fund short position grows

Funds also net short in U.S. wheats

MarketsFarm — The managed money net short position in canola grew in early May as fund traders were busy liquidating long positions and moving more money to the short side of the market, according to the latest Commitments of Traders report from the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). As of May 2, the net […] Read more


For irrigation farmers, two critical terms to understand are allowable depletion and readily available water. Allowable depletion is the amount of water that can be removed from soil without affecting crop yield or inducing crop water stress. The water between field capacity and allowable depletion is referred to as readily available water.

How to manage and schedule irrigation, Part 1

Here’s how to prevent water-induced stress on your crops

Two costly mistakes irrigation farmers can make are not starting to irrigate soon enough in spring and not applying enough water to keep up with crop water demands during the growing season. Good irrigation water management simply involves determining the correct amount of irrigation water to apply at the right times. The goal of irrigation […] Read more

ICE July 2023 canola with 20-day moving average and November 2023 canola (yellow open/high/low/close). (Barchart)

ICE weekly outlook: Expect canola to climb higher

Seeding reported underway in southern Alberta

MarketsFarm — As better-than-expected weather across the Canadian Prairies is very likely to spur on farmers to begin their spring seeding, the market is poised to push higher over the next couple of months, according to an analyst. “We have come down to the low end of the range,” said David Derwin, commodity futures advisor […] Read more


File photo of a canola field in northern France’s Normandy region. (Brasil2/iStock/Getty Images)

Rapeseed production expected down in EU

USDA attache sees more soy, sunflower

MarketsFarm — Rapeseed production in the European Union (EU) is expected to see a small decrease in the 2023-24 marketing year, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) European Union attaché in Vienna. In a Global Agricultural Information Network (GAIN) report released Wednesday, the EU’s 2023-24 rapeseed crop is expected to total 19.3 million […] Read more

This field sprayer carrying OnDeck herbicide approaches a patch of kochia to apply a unique combination of actives including tolpyralate, a newer active ingredient, and bromoxynil, which are Group 27 and Group 6 herbicides, respectively, for effective control of kochia, herbicide-resistant kochia and other broadleaf weeds.

Corteva’s OnDeck offers crop rotation flexibility

A wheat and barley in-crop herbicide with no cropping restrictions for peas, lentils or canola the following year

Wheat and barley producers in Western Canada in the Brown and Dark Brown soil zones will have a new tool for broadleaf weed control this growing season with a unique combination of actives that doesn’t have cropping restrictions the following year. Following recent product registration by the Pest Management Regulatory Agency, Corteva Agriscience is releasing […] Read more