Soybeans getting one step closer to the bin in Western Manitoba in October 2018.  Photo: Greg Berg

Weather weighed on 2018 Manitoba crop year

CNS Canada – Conditions were variable across Manitoba throughout the 2018 growing season, according to the provincial crop report released Oct. 29. As of Oct. 29, provincially 97 per cent of the total crop was harvested. Crops completely finished include winter wheat, fall rye, field pea and dry bean. The spring wheat, barley, oat and […] Read more


CN locomotives in Winnipeg. (Photo courtesy CN)

CN’s grain handle up in record quarter

Traffic in Canadian National Railway’s grain and fertilizers segment rose eight per cent in its latest quarter, helping the company to record quarterly revenue. Montreal-based CN on Oct. 23 reported net income of $1.134 billion on $3.688 billion in revenues for its quarter ending Sept. 30, up from $958 million on $3.221 billion in its […] Read more

(File photo by Dave Bedard)

Grain handle down slightly in record quarter for CP

Grain carloads were marginally fewer but grain revenue per carload climbed 10 per cent to help Canadian Pacific Railway to its highest quarterly revenue ever. Calgary-based CP on Oct. 18 booked net income of $622 million on $1.898 billion in revenues — its “highest ever (revenues) for any quarter” — in its third quarter ending […] Read more


Sask. harvest progress hits 92 per cent

Saskatchewan Crop Report for the week ending October 22

After multiple weeks of delay, many producers were able to return to the field and complete harvest. Thanks to warm and dry weather last week, producers now have 92 per cent of the 2018 crop harvested, according to Saskatchewan Agriculture’s weekly Crop Report. This is up from 82 per cent last week, but slightly behind […] Read more

Sask. harvest reaches 82 per cent, weather, wildlife seen damaging crops

Saskatchewan Crop Report for the week ending October 15

Although wet and cool weather conditions last week continued to delay harvest in much of the province, many producers are back in the field or will be soon. Eighty-two per cent of the crop is now in the bin, according to Saskatchewan Agriculture’s weekly Crop Report, up from 78 per cent last week but behind […] Read more


Corn west of Mitchell, Man. on Oct. 17, 2018. (Dave Bedard photo)

Ready, set go! Harvest reprieve hits Prairies

CNS Canada — Prairie farmers struggling to get crops off fields under wet, cold conditions are about to get a reprieve — if they haven’t seen warmer weather already in their area. Natalie Hasell, a weather preparedness meteorologist for Environment Canada in Winnipeg, said most regions of British Columbia, Alberta, and southern and central Saskatchewan […] Read more

World crop briefs: Black Sea’s oilseed yields seen larger

CNS Canada — The Black Sea region’s oilseed crop for 2018-19 is estimated 160,000 tonnes higher, at 43.36 million tonnes, according to the latest estimates by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In its October estimates, USDA estimated Ukraine rapeseed production would come in at 100,000 tonnes more than previous estimates to 2.7 million tonnes. Turkey’s […] Read more


Brad Barlow combining durum wheat on September 4, 2018, near Griffin, Saskatchewan, taking advantage of the nice weather before the rains came.

2018 weather—just part of cycle

Maybe there is climate change, but farmers figure this really isn’t out of the ordinary

Many farmers across Western Canada are counting on October to be a decent harvest month after combines in many areas came to a screeching halt about mid-September as daily rain showers, snow flurries and in some cases snowfall terminated what had largely been a hot, dry summer. But producers contacted in late September for this […] Read more