Viterra’s Coulter Avenue elevator in Winnipeg on Jan. 22.

Editor’s Rant: Canadian graffiti

The government's conditions for a Bunge/Viterra marriage left much to be desired

I’ve got to admit, I’ve never fully understood the geometry behind federal regulators’ decisions on which assets a company has to sell in exchange for clearance on a big merger or takeover. There may well have been a solid reason why, after Husky sold off its retail gas stations in 2022, our neighbourhood wound up […] Read more



Chocolate chip cookie dough made with chickpea flour. Pulse starches are being explored for use in batters, breading, pastas and various snack foods.

Starch market search yields results for pulses

Food scientists look to improve pulse crops’ value proposition beyond their proteins

Glacier FarmMedia — Protein is normally the focus of pulse production, but research shows value can also be gained from the starch byproduct. Researchers at the University of Saskatchewan are seeking new uses for pulse starches in the food and biomaterial sectors. Byproduct market research aims to reduce food waste, increase efficiency and add more […] Read more

canadian light source

Research lights up pulse flours’ specific properties

A project uses Saskatoon’s synchrotron to dissect the best flours for given food uses

Glacier FarmMedia — Pulses have a niche in the plant protein space, but the industry hopes new markets and new end-uses will help those crops expand their footprint. Chitra Sivakumar, a doctoral researcher at the University of Manitoba, is one of the people trying to make that happen. In a recent project, she and her […] Read more


Crops that are less expensive to grow but still have profit potential may look more attractive in the expected market environment.

Expect smaller margins for error in 2025

Unless you're growing pinto beans, sharpen your pencils when calculating costs of production

Glacier FarmMedia — As of this writing it’s four and a half months until Canadian farmers will plant their next crop and at least eight months before the next harvest. But as of the middle of December, potential profits from growing grains, oilseeds and pulses are looking grim in Western Canada. “Costs have come down […] Read more



The two-striped grasshopper has two pale stripes that extend from its eyes to the tips of its forewings and solid black stripes on its hind legs.

PMRA plans to reinstate lambda-cy use in feed grain crops

PMRA to update guidance, cancel some uses in fruit

Canadian grain and oilseed growers who’d had to stop using insecticides such as Matador, Silencer and Voliam in 2023 for feed grain crops can expect to be able to use them again starting this spring. Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) on Monday (Feb. 3) announced a round of public consultations, to run until […] Read more