Wrecked structures float in the water in the aftermath of Hurricane Fiona at Rose Blanche, N.L., about 45 km east of Port aux Basques, on Sept. 25, 2022. (Photo: Reuters/John Morris)

Cleanup work begins for Eastern Canada after Fiona

Five provinces assessing damage from 'unprecedented' storm

Port aux Basques | Reuters — It will take several months for Canada to restore critical infrastructure after the powerful storm Fiona left an “unprecedented” trail of destruction, officials said on Sunday, as crews fanned out in five provinces to restore power and clean up fallen trees and debris. One 73-year-old woman died during the […] Read more

CBOT December 2022 soft red winter wheat (candlesticks) with 20-day moving average (green line), MGEX December 2022 hard red spring wheat (yellow line) and K.C. December 2022 hard red winter wheat (orange line). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Wheat joins broad commodities weakness

CBOT corn, soybeans also lower

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat futures fell about three per cent on Friday, joining a broad sell-off in commodity and equity markets tied to fears of an economic downturn that would dent demand, analysts said. Corn and soybean futures joined the weaker trend, pressured by recession fears and favorable weather for the expanding U.S. […] Read more



CBOT December 2022 soft red winter wheat (candlesticks) with Bollinger bands (20,2), MGEX December 2022 hard red spring wheat (yellow line) and K.C. December 2022 hard red winter wheat (orange line). (Barchart)

U.S, grains: Wheat climbs as Ukraine war escalation feared

Corn, soybean futures retreat

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat futures hit their highest in more than two months on Wednesday on fears of an escalation in the Ukraine war that has disrupted crucial Black Sea grain exports, but pared gains as worries about the health of the global economy pressured the wider commodities sector. Corn and soybean futures […] Read more


A man stands inside his destroyed house in the rural zone of Cuey, in the aftermath of Hurricane Fiona, in El Seibo in the Dominican Republic on Sept. 20, 2022. (Photo: Reuters/Ricardo Rojas)

Atlantic Canada on Hurricane Fiona’s path, broad impact expected

Parts of Nova Scotia more vulnerable to flooding

Reuters — Hurricane Fiona is headed toward Eastern Canada and is expected to reach its Atlantic region by Friday in what could be a severe weather event as the storm continues to gain strength, Canadian meteorologists said Wednesday. Fiona powered up to a Category 4 storm on Wednesday, packing winds as high as 215 km/h, […] Read more

Internally displaced Ethiopians queue to receive food aid in the Higlo camp for people displaced by drought, at the town of Gode in Ethiopia’s Somali region on April 26, 2022. (Photo: Reuters/Tiksa Negeri)

Nearly a million people face starvation in hunger hotspots, U.N. agencies report

London | Reuters — Nearly one million people in Afghanistan, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Somalia and Yemen are starving or will face starvation this year in the absence of aid, as the global food crisis worsens, United Nations agencies warned on Wednesday. Local conflict and weather extremes remain the primary drivers of acute hunger, aggravated this […] Read more


farmer repairing combine harvester

No clear-cut fix in right to repair debate

It sounds like everyone wants farmers to be able to repair machinery, but there appears to be a big gap in what’s available, affordable and accessible in a timely manner

The stories are out there. Farmers held up at a time of critical field operations because machinery needed, perhaps, a fairly simple reset of computer codes or minor repair, but it took hours for a dealership technician to get there to do it. Northern Alberta farmer Cole Siegle has told his story a few times. […] Read more

(Sollio Agriculture photo)

Sollio to exit southwestern Ontario grain handling

Country elevator assets to be sold after harvest, co-op to focus on ag retail

One of Canada’s biggest ag co-operatives is moving ahead on plans to “optimize assets” by shedding its stake in grain handling in southwestern Ontario and focusing more closely on retail ag inputs. Sollio Agriculture, the agribusiness arm of Quebec-based Sollio Cooperative Group, on Tuesday announced it will start “an orderly wind-down” of its Ontario Grain […] Read more


CBOT December 2022 soft red winter wheat (candlesticks) with 20-day moving average (green line), MGEX December 2022 hard red spring wheat (yellow line) and K.C. December 2022 hard red winter wheat (orange line). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Wheat up on new concerns for Black Sea supplies

Corn, soybeans up on slow harvest

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago wheat futures climbed on Tuesday after a day-earlier slide, underpinned by renewed fears about Black Sea supplies, traders said. Soybeans and corn also firmed, supported by slower-than-expected progress in the U.S. harvest. The most-traded wheat contract on the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) gained 63-1/4 cents to $8.93-3/4 a bushel, […] Read more

Larry Penner plans on including winter cereal crops in his rotation for several reasons – it spreads out the workload, benefits wildlife, improves weed control and, at the end of the day, the crops are also profitable.

Benefits of winter crops outweigh the challenges

Depending on seeding conditions, the best approach may be to ‘seed shallow and pray for rain’

As the calendar rolls around to August and September each year, south-central Alberta farmer Larry Penner finds himself in two time zones — seeding time and harvest time. For a good part of his farming career, Penner has been a believer of including a winter cereal crop in rotation. He says the timing can be […] Read more