Dry alfalfa and straw bales are loaded into the Kuhn Side Slinger manure spreader, which doubles as a mixer wagon. The hay and straw will serve as biomass for the compost.

Build your own bioreactor

Regenerative Ag: A farmer puts his homegrown biological fertilizer to work in his fields to improve soil health and crop quality and save on input costs

Former Saskatchewan farmer Franck Groeneweg will be heading out to his Montana grain fields this spring to apply a biological fertilizer made on his farm. Over the past three growing seasons, it appears this liquid compost extract helps to maintain crop yields while making it possible for him to significantly reduce chemical fertilizer rates. It […] Read more

(Dave Bedard photo)

Spec short position grows in canola

Managed money net long in soy, corn

MarketsFarm — Speculators were busy adding to their growing net short position in canola during the week ended Jan. 24, according to the latest Commitments of Traders (CoT) report compiled by the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). The net managed money short position in ICE Futures canola came in at 32,625 contracts on Jan. […] Read more


A view of Imperial Oil’s Strathcona fuel refinery from the North Saskatchewan River. (Imperial Oil photo via BusinessWire)

Imperial Oil clears Edmonton renewable diesel plant for construction

Quick decision motivated in part by need for feedstocks such as canola oil, company says

Reuters — Imperial Oil on Thursday announced approval for an investment of $720 million to build Canada’s largest renewable diesel facility at its Strathcona refinery near Edmonton. The Calgary-based company said the facility will produce 20,000 barrels per day of renewable diesel and is expected to start production in 2025. Imperial expects regulatory approval for […] Read more

(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Feed weekly outlook: Barley, wheat prices continue downward

Oats, canola meal also bound for feedlots

MarketsFarm — As colder temperatures descend onto the Prairies, buying activity for feed barley and wheat was just as frigid. “A lot of guys are fairly caught up with purchasing,” said Mike Fleischhauer of Eagle Commodities Inc. in Lethbridge. “You see the prices of wheat and barley start to trickle down a little bit. Corn’s […] Read more


Research studies in Western Canada have shown general applications of boron fertilizer are not warranted to optimize canola yields or quality.

Do Prairie crops need boron fertilizer?

Before you apply boron fertilizer, read this

We often hear about the need for boron (B) fertilizer to optimize canola production and occasionally for other crops. However, boron is not widely used as a fertilizer in Western Canada. In the fall of 2021, Fertilizer Canada surveyed western Canadian wheat and canola growers to determine fertilizer use. This survey found about 8.6 per […] Read more

ICE March 2023 canola with Bollinger bands (20,2). (Barchart)

ICE weekly outlook: Canola trading window lowered

A crude oil downturn would pressure canola, loonie

MarketsFarm — The ICE Futures canola market posted steady losses for five sessions, testing the lower edge of their well-established trading ranges before finally uncovering some support on Wednesday. The losses did damage from a chart perspective, with the activity bumping the trading window lower, according to an analyst. “Overall, both on old- and new-crop, […] Read more


OmniPower autonomous power platforms undergoing testing in Arizona. Saskatchewan grower Carl deConinck Smith uses the OmniPower autonomous system developed by Raven Technology to run a SeedMaster seeder and a New Leader spreader on his farm.

How to make the most of every acre

How precision ag tools can help boost efficiency and production

It’s often said you need the right tools to do the job right. That is certainly the case in agriculture, where today’s farmer relies more and more on leading-edge technologies to push the boundaries of efficiency and production. There’s no argument on that point from Shayla Wourms, who runs a family-owned grain farm in Saskatchewan along […] Read more

(Dave Bedard photo)

AAFC issues first look at 2023-24

Oats production expected down significantly on year; wheat, canola up

MarketsFarm — Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) has released its first crop projections for 2023-24, forecasting a very notable drop in oats. In AAFC’s January supply and demand estimates, released Friday, it cut oat production to 3.611 million tonnes, down almost 31 per cent compared to 2022-23. The department chopped the carryout for oats by […] Read more


photo:  Beatriz Montes Duran/istock/getty images

Meta-analysis in canola

A review of nutrient and water use efficiency studies provides some valuable insights for farmers

Rising fertilizer prices and perilously low levels of precipitation in many areas have delivered a dangerous one-two punch to farmers across the Canadian Prairies over the past few years. A recent study conducted by a team of researchers in Alberta could offer producers hope on how best to contend with such extreme conditions. The researchers […] Read more

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

ICE weekly outlook: Canola’s steady week takes late turn

Outlook 'neutral to bearish'

MarketsFarm — While canola prices turned lower Wednesday, the week ending that day was full of rangebound trade activity with little movement. The March canola contract traded within a range of $832-$846.70 per tonne during the week, settling at the low end of the range after falling $5.20 on Wednesday to close at $832.70/tonne. Winnipeg-based […] Read more