A look at wheat and canola field crop diseases

A look at wheat and canola field crop diseases

What can you expect in 2022?

The word disease literally means not at ease (dis-ease). For a comprehensive review of all important diseases on the Canadian Prairies look out for the soon-to-be published, revised edition of Diseases of Field Crops in Canada. Crop diseases range from disease-causing fungi, bacteria, viruses and nematodes to nutritional problems. There are far too many diseases […] Read more

CBOT May 2022 wheat (candlesticks) with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages (yellow, orange and dark green lines). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Wheat, corn bounce as Ukraine conflict persists

USDA acres, stocks data awaited

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat futures rose on Wednesday along with corn and soybeans on renewed concerns about the Ukraine war that has disrupted grain shipments from the Black Sea region, analysts said. However, trade was muted somewhat as brokers awaited U.S. plantings and quarterly stocks figures due out on Thursday from the U.S. […] Read more


Erebus Xtreme is sprayed on a spring wheat field during a 2021 field trial in Balcarres, Sask.

Syngenta releases new grass and broadleaf cereal herbicide

Farmers can address herbicide resistance concerns and avoid rotational crop restrictions with Erebus Xtreme

For Prairie farmers battling problem weeds, herbicide-resistant wild oats are one of the worst as they’re now found throughout Western Canada. One of the best ways to combat herbicide resistance is to rotate active ingredients, which is why Syngenta has introduced Erebus Xtreme, a new cross-spectrum herbicide aimed at helping cereal growers control herbicide-resistant wild […] Read more



CBOT May 2022 wheat (candlesticks) with MGEX May 2022 spring wheat (yellow OHLC) and K.C. May 2022 hard red wheat (orange OHLC). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Wheat, corn fall on ceasefire hopes

Chicago May soybeans also lower

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat futures fell four per cent and corn fell nearly three per cent on Tuesday as comments by Russia and Ukraine following negotiations in Turkey raised hopes of a ceasefire in a conflict that has disrupted massive grain exports through the Black Sea region. However, trade was volatile, with benchmark […] Read more

CBOT May 2022 wheat (candlesticks) with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages (yellow, orange and dark green lines). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Crop data awaited as grains fall with other commodities

China COVID-19 cases weigh on markets; grain traders monitor Ukraine news

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat, corn and soybean futures fell on Monday as worries over coronavirus cases in China weighed on commodity markets while grain traders also adjusted positions ahead of key U.S. crop reports due later this week. Crude oil dropped sharply as China’s financial hub, Shanghai, launched a lockdown to contain surging […] Read more



CBOT May 2022 soybeans (candlesticks) with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages (yellow, dark green and black lines). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Soybean futures rise on export strength

Corn, wheat also strong

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Board of Trade soybean, wheat and corn futures firmed on Friday, with all three commodities recovering from declines posted during the overnight trading session. The strength in soybeans stemmed from signs that demand for U.S. supplies remains strong even with newly harvested soybeans from South America available on the marketplace. […] Read more


Some fungal diseases of crops are more prevalent in acidic soils. A good example is clubroot in canola in central Alberta.

Acid soil management in your fields

How to prevent, manage and remediate acid soils

Soil acidity is determined by measuring soil pH. The “H” refers to hydrogen and the “p” refers to hydrogen concentration on a negative logarithm scale (soil pH is -log [H+]). A soil pH of 7.0 is neutral, meaning the hydrogen (H+) ion concentration in soil equals the hydroxyl (OH-) ion concentration. A soil pH less […] Read more

In all of Western Canada, total beef cows as of January 1, 2022 were 3.089 million head, down only 23,500 head from last year. This isn’t significant enough to say that producers liquidated cows due to the drought. This is a minor change due to market influences.

Stats Can survey updates the beef numbers

Market Update with Jerry Klassen: Drought impact was less than expected, but what will the war in Europe mean to beef markets?

Feeder cattle prices across Western Canada have been quite volatile due to geopolitical issues. I’ve received many calls from cow-calf producers and backgrounding operators regarding the timing of feeder cattle sales. Prices have varied significantly from week to week. For example, the price of 600-pound steers in Alberta varied recently by as much as $15 […] Read more