Aerial view of AGT Foods’ pulse plant at Aberdeen, Sask. (AGTFoods.com)

AGT building oat milling plant in Saskatchewan

Regina pulse processor AGT Foods plans to bulk up its portfolio in the plant-based ingredients business with a new oat milling operation in central Saskatchewan. The company on Thursday announced it would start construction “immediately” on the new operation, to be housed in an expansion of its existing processing plant just east of Aberdeen, about […] Read more

Germination and vigour have been affected by damage to pulse crop seeds. Extremely dry conditions during the growing season and at harvest and a period of extremely cold conditions for a few weeks in early winter contributed to increased levels of seed cracking as shown in the yellow peas above.

Seed quality, seed supply and management tips for 2022

Deal with reputable seed suppliers and make sure all seed batches are tested ahead of the seeding season

Not that it is a major news blast, but if they haven’t done so already western Canadian farmers need to be thinking now about getting seed sources lined up for the 2022 growing season. Also, if they’re planning to use farm-saved seed, make sure it is properly tested for germination and vigour. The 2021 growing […] Read more


Down the middle of this photo is a line of cattle working on a swath on Copperfield Colony. It takes about 20 minutes to advance a hot wire to the next swath once cattle clean up a windrow. The colony is now taking off more tons of forage per acre with the cover crops and swath grazing than with three cuttings of hay.

Year-round grazing reduces winter feeding costs

Cover crops, swath grazing and double cropping are all ways to produce more forage

The cattle managers at the Copperfield Hutterite Colony near Vauxhall, Alta., northeast of Lethbridge, are using livestock to improve soils and pastures. Phil Hofer and the boys in charge of the cattle are using them in a year-round grazing system that includes intensive pasture rotations on swathed cover crops. “I am thankful to the management […] Read more

Saskatchewan producer Stuart Lawrence minimizes his insecticide use by letting lady beetles, a natural enemy of his problem aphids, do as much of the work as possible.

Beneficial insects play key roles on Prairie farms

The benefits of beneficials are many and varied, some parasitize or feed on crop pests while others can pollinate crops and improve seed set

A growing number of crop producers are recognizing the role of beneficial insects on their farms. It seems like just about every crop pest has a natural enemy that can keep their populations at bay, while many crops have beneficials that aid their growth and sustainability. Stuart Lawrence, Dean Hubbard and Ian Steppler are three […] Read more


Have a well-prepared crop plan for 2022

Have a well-prepared crop plan for 2022

Q & A with an expert

Q: What factors do I need to consider when planning my 2022 crop rotation? A: With 2021 safely in the rear-view mirror, it’s time to finalize plans for the 2022 crop year. When planning for the new season, there are many different agronomic factors that must be taken into consideration. With crop prices sitting above […] Read more

(Dave Bedard photo)

StatsCan confirms tight grain and oilseed stocks

Canadian corn stocks up on year

MarketsFarm — Canada’s tight supplies of canola, wheat and other crops following the 2021 Prairie drought received more confirmation from Statistics Canada with the release of updated stocks data on Tuesday. Canola stocks, as of Dec. 31, 2021, of 7.6 million tonnes were down 43 per cent from the previous year and the tightest since […] Read more


With dry conditions in southwest Manitoba in 2021, Bill Nicholson harvested a crop that was about a half to two-thirds of a normal yield. He’s expecting it to be another dry growing season in 2022.

Growers tailor their farm plans for 2022

Farmer Panel: Most are gearing up for dry growing conditions with average yields

After a dry 2021 growing season in most, but not all, parts of Western Canada, farmer panel members for our Jan. 18, 2022, issue of Grainews say they aren’t planning any crazy moves for the coming growing season. However, they will be making some adjustments in fertilizer application rates and crop rotations for 2022, while […] Read more

CBOT March 2022 oats (candlesticks) with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages (yellow, brown and dark green lines). (Barchart)

Oat prices, acres to rise in 2022, analyst says

MarketsFarm — An independent crop market analyst told Saskatchewan oat growers he is bullish for the crop in 2022. Brennan Turner, founder and former CEO of online crop marketing platforms FarmLead and Combyne Ag, delivered a presentation at the Saskatchewan Oat Development Commission’s (SaskOats) annual general meeting in Saskatoon on Wednesday. Turner, a Foam Lake […] Read more


(Xinzheng/Getty Images)

New China import rules bring headaches for food, beverage makers

Cooking oil, milled grains among foods moved to higher-risk categories

Beijing | Reuters — Makers of Irish whiskey, Belgian chocolate and European coffee brands are scrambling to comply with new Chinese food and beverage regulations, with many fearful their goods will be unable to enter the giant market as a Jan. 1 deadline looms. China’s customs authority published new food safety rules in April stipulating […] Read more

(Dave Bedard photo)

Canola declines, durum drops in new StatsCan estimates

Soybean, oats estimates raised

MarketsFarm — There were very few surprises in Statistics Canada’s latest principal field crop production estimates released Friday — the first in 2021-22 to use a survey of producers. Nevertheless, they quantified just how severe last summer’s drought was in Western Canada. Canola production for the 2021-22 marketing year was estimated to be 12.595 million […] Read more