Extreme cold temperatures in Western Canada have done little to move the needle on feed grain markets as corn continues to come up from the United States and end users appear well covered for the time being.
Cereals
Western Canadian feed market cold, but quiet
General trend in barley pricing flat to lower
Crop residues’ rewards versus risks
Leaving crop residue after harvest can be beneficial — but poses some challenges
John Berger marked the completion of his 57th harvest on his family farm near Nanton in southern Alberta this fall. By most accounts, it was another productive year on Berger’s 5,000-acre grain farm. Still, something didn’t sit quite right with the long-time farmer. Whenever he toured the nearby countryside post-harvest, he noted many farm fields […] Read more
Searching for sustainability in agriculture
A southern Manitoba farmer’s quest for a “greener” farming system has left him with more questions than answers — and feeling a bit hypocritical
In 1888 Bertha Benz drove her homemade car on a 212-km round trip to Mannheim and Pforzheim in Germany. The fuel tank was 4.5 litres, and there were no gas stations along the way. There were probably no paved roads either and the reliability of the car was unproven. It might have been easier to […] Read more
Retiring back to the Klein farm
Emery Klein's journey has brought him full-circle to mixed farming in central Alberta
The Prairie Farms feature is an ongoing series that highlights western Canadian producers and their farm operations. These producer and farm profiles will share the strategies, tips and experiences that have helped Prairie farmers be successful. Along with crop production strategies, this Q-and-A series will look at the personalities and lifestyles of farmers across Western […] Read more
Red Sea crisis cutting farm exports from Ukraine, minister says
Wheat shipments via Suez plunge amid Red Sea attacks: WTO
The situation in the Red Sea has led to a slowdown in Ukrainian agricultural exports in January, agriculture minister Mykola Solsky said on Thursday.
Irrigators warned to watch for bacterial outbreaks in cereals
Bacterial leaf streak is already an issue for Alberta and the U.S. Plains
Saskatchewan irrigators can consider themselves warned: look out for bacterial leaf streak. Gursahib Singh, research director of the Irrigation Crop Diversification Corp. (ICDC), presented to 200 members of the irrigation industry at the Irrigation Saskatchewan conference on Dec. 5 in Saskatoon. Bacterial leaf streak is so far not a problem in Saskatchewan, but has been […] Read more
Sequenced genome makes good reading for oat breeding
The resulting roadmap should help researchers work through oats’ genetic complexity
Glacier FarmMedia – While it has its defenders among those who grow oats for food, feed and seed markets, oat production often goes undervalued in a land where canola and wheat are kings. That’s why the recent creation of the world’s first reference genome for oats is a significant step toward a more targeted approach […] Read more
Wheat quality excellent in 2023 despite the year
Crops grade No. 2 or better with average to above-average protein
“Challenging growing conditions” on the Prairies in 2023 somehow produced a Canadian wheat crop within the five-year average for tonnage, average to above-average protein content and “excellent” quality. That about sums up the New Wheat Crop Report from Cereals Canada, released Nov. 21, describing what growers already knew: how below-average temperatures initially delayed seeding in […] Read more
Malt barley shows good quality
Dry conditions led to lower yields in 2023
Glacier MarketsFarm – Hot and dry growing conditions cut into barley yields in Western Canada in 2023 but quality was generally good, according to the yearly annual harvest report on barley quality from the Canadian Grain Commission. Total barley production across the Prairies was down by 10 per cent on the year, at 8.707 million […] Read more
Stamp out smut
Crop diseases: Disease prevention tips are available for barley producers
Smut is one of the most common diseases in barley and can be found anywhere the grain is grown. There are several distinct kinds, each caused by a specific fungus and producing slightly different effects. While smut affects other cereals, it’s particularly a concern for Prairie barley growers because of its impact on quality as […] Read more