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


Trucks wait for crossing into Poland at the Rava-Ruska border checkpoint in Ukraine’s Lviv region on April 17, 2023. (Photo: Reuters/Roman Baluk)

EU sets Ukraine grain import restrictions in five countries until June 5

Supports pledged for farmers in those countries

Brussels | Reuters — The European Commission said on Tuesday it set restrictions until June 5 on imports of Ukrainian wheat, maize, rapeseed and sunflower seed to ease the excess supply of these grains in Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia. The EU executive arm said that during that period, Ukrainian wheat, maize, rapeseed and […] Read more

(Dave Bedard photo)

Fund short position in canola grows for first time in a month

Corn moves from net long to net short

MarketsFarm — After covering bearish bets for four straight weeks, managed money fund traders were back on the sell side of the canola market in late April, covering longs and putting on new short positions. According to the latest Commitments of Traders report from the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), as of April 25, […] Read more


Trucks wait for crossing into Poland at the Rava-Ruska border checkpoint in Ukraine’s Lviv region on April 17, 2023. (Photo: Reuters/Roman Baluk)

Deal reached to resume Ukraine grain transit with five EU countries

Agreement includes support package for local farmers

Brussels | Reuters — The European Commission said Friday it had reached a deal in principle to allow transit of Ukrainian grain to resume through five European Union countries that had imposed restrictions. Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia cited concerns that grain from Ukraine meant to be exported to other countries had ended up […] Read more

ICE July 2023 canola with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

ICE weekly outlook: StatCan’s canola area estimate questioned

Traders predict significant increase ahead

MarketsFarm — Statistics Canada on Wednesday released its first survey-based seeding intentions report for the 2023-24 marketing year, reporting an anticipated 0.9 per cent rise in canola acres, to 21.6 million. The figure occupied the lower end of trade expectations, but StatCan recently adopted a new methodology of conducting the survey last December and January, […] Read more


File photo of wheat seedlings. (Volodymyr Shtun/iStock/Getty Images)

StatCan expects more wheat, canola acres in 2023

Corn, soy, barley acres also expected up

MarketsFarm — Canadian farmers intend to plant more wheat and canola in 2023, with soybeans, corn and barley area also forecast to expand, according to Statistics Canada’s projections for field crop area. The increases in those crops will come at the expense of oats, lentils and peas, with intended summerfallow area down to its smallest […] Read more

(Merit Functional Foods video screengrab via YouTube)

Merit Foods co-owner Burcon partnering on bid for assets

Unnamed 'plant protein company' now in on Burcon's bid

A major shareholder in beleaguered pea and canola protein processor Merit Functional Foods has brought on an unnamed partner in its bid to buy the business out of receivership. After announcing last month it would submit a bid for the next-to-new Merit assets, Vancouver-based plant protein firm Burcon NutraScience said Monday it’s now “participating in […] Read more