Oats. (Doug Wilson photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

Oats riding high with other crops

MarketsFarm — Increased demand, both domestically and overseas, has caused the price of oats grown in Western Canada to rise compared to last year. And so far, seeding projections and rising prices for other crops suggest the market for oats won’t go down anytime soon. According to Prairie Ag Hotwire data from Wednesday, high-delivered bids […] Read more

CBOT May 2021 corn (candlesticks) with Bollinger bands (20,2) and May 2021 WTI crude (black line). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Corn, soy slump in broad-based commodities selloff

Weekly corn export sales top estimates, China buys more

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn and soybean futures fell on Thursday as a firm U.S. dollar and tumbling energy prices, with crude oil down more than eight per cent, stoked broad selling across commodities markets. The steepest corn and soy declines in more than a week marked a further pullback from recent highs as […] Read more


Tips for the safe use of crop protection products

Tips for the safe use of crop protection products

Q & A with an expert

Q: How do I use crop protection products safely? A: Agricultural field pesticides are valuable tools to help growers control weeds, certain insects and crop disease. It is imperative that pesticides be used safely to protect both the applicator and the local environment. Each pesticide will have details as to its safe use on the […] Read more

Federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau speaks to media in Winnipeg on Feb. 13, 2020. (Dave Bedard photo)

Yes or no now on AgriStability changes, ag minister says

Farm and commodity groups line up to press provinces for decision

Ottawa’s proposals for changes to the AgriStability farm income stabilization program require a yes or no answer from participating provinces, not more discussion, the federal ag minister said Wednesday. “It has been just over 110 days since we made the offer to the provinces to improve AgriStability,” Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau and Winnipeg MP Jim […] Read more


CBOT May 2021 soybeans with Bollinger (20,2) bands. (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Soybeans slide on slowing exports, Argentina rains

USDA confirms more U.S. corn sales to China

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures retreated on Wednesday on slowing export sales as global demand shifts to South American supplies and as U.S. farmers prepare to dramatically increase plantings of the oilseed this spring. Corn futures were mixed, with the nearby contract firming as strong sales to China stoked concerns about tightening supplies. […] Read more



(LIVINUS/iStock/Getty Images)

New quarantine rules lined up for temporary foreign workers

Private transport would allow workers to skip immediate hotel stay

Temporary foreign workers coming to Canada for work in the farming or food processing sectors might not have to immediately check into government-approved hotels for COVID-19 quarantines along with other arriving travellers. The federal government on Tuesday announced new rules for TFWs taking effect starting Sunday (March 21). Like other arrivals, TFWs will still be […] Read more

CBOT May 2021 corn with 20- and 50-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Nearby corn futures firm as USDA reports big sales to China

CBOT May soybeans, wheat also up

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn futures edged higher in actively traded nearby contracts on Tuesday on strong export demand after the U.S. Department of Agriculture confirmed the largest sales to China since January. Soybean futures were mixed, with nearby prices rising on concerns about South American harvest weather and spillover support from higher spot […] Read more


The photo above shows compaction in a wheat field. Adam Gurr, who has been practicing CTF on his farm since 2011, has observed the most obvious source of compaction-related yield loss is a result of in-season traffic, most notably any seeding prep, seeding and sprayer traffic that occurs on wet ground.

Interested in controlled traffic farming? Start with small steps

CTF can prove both practical and beneficial, even with a step partway toward controlling in-field equipment traffic

For Prairie farmers who measure land in hundreds or thousands of acres, how much does it really matter if you drive your equipment a handful of inches this way or that way? A whole lot, says Adam Gurr, a Manitoba producer who completed a master’s degree in agronomy focused on controlled traffic farming (CTF) and […] Read more

(Video screengrab from Richardson.ca)

Richardson to upgrade western Manitoba elevator

High-throughput to replace wooden crib structure at Swan River

Prairie grain handler Richardson Pioneer plans to start work this spring on a new high-throughput elevator “effectively replacing” its Swan River Valley unit in northwestern Manitoba. The Winnipeg company’s current site, on Canadian National Railway (CN) track about six kilometres north of the town of Swan River, is anchored by a wooden crib workhouse and […] Read more