(File photo by Dave Bedard)

Canola fund short position shrinking

Managed money is net long on corn, soy

MarketsFarm — Managed money fund traders continued to cover their large short positions in canola in early April, according to the latest Commitments of Traders report from the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). As of April 4, the net managed money short position in canola futures came in at 49,470 contracts (70,671 short; 21,201 […] Read more

(Screengrab from Merit Functional Foods video via YouTube)

Bidding open for Merit Foods for two more weeks

Stakeholder Burcon plans to put up 'compelling bid'

The fate of Winnipeg pea- and canola-based protein processor Merit Functional Foods won’t be confirmed until the end of April at the earliest. Merit, whose major shareholders include Vancouver plant-based protein firm Burcon NutraScience, U.S. agrifood firm Bunge and former executives of Hemp Oil Canada, was placed into receivership March 1. According to the first […] Read more


Clint Jurke, agronomy director for the Canola Council of Canada, says he believes the Canadian canola industry has a lot to feel encouraged about.

Tools to reach 52 bushels per acre canola in 2023

Focus on and execute these five agronomy priorities to increase overall yields and profitability

Last year, the national average canola yield in Canada came in at 38 bushels per acre, according to Statistics Canada. It’s an improvement on 25 bushels per acre in 2021, when drought conditions drove yields down across Western Canada, but it’s still well short of the 52-bushel-per-acre yield target the Canola Council of Canada (CCC) […] Read more

(Dave Bedard photo)

Canola short position finally subsiding

CBOT wheat, corn also net short

MarketsFarm — After hitting the largest speculative short position in canola on record, managed money fund traders were finally covering those bearish bets in late March, according to the latest Commitments of Traders report from the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). As of March 28, the net managed money short position in canola futures […] Read more


ICE July 2023 canola with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

ICE weekly outlook: Not a matter of when, but where canola peaks

Prevailing trend remains downward

MarketsFarm — As the rally in canola on ICE Futures continued Wednesday, an analyst stressed it’s not when this upswing ends, but where. David Derwin of PI Financial in Winnipeg spoke of when canola prices were falling, and they broke through that psychological barrier of $800 per tonne on their way down. “That was the […] Read more

A PAMI staff member holds up a grain loss pan after taking a sample from one of the combines used in a recent project.

How to reduce canola combine losses

A recent PAMI study shows canola combine grain losses can be significant. Here’s what you can do

Combine grain loss is a fact of life for most canola growers on the Canadian Prairies. A recent study conducted by the Prairie Agricultural Machinery Institute (PAMI) provided a snapshot of how significant those losses can be and what producers can do to reduce them. The On-Farm Survey of Combine Grain Loss in Canola Across […] Read more


(File photo by Dave Bedard)

Canola fund short position still rising

Managed money net long in soybeans

MarketsFarm — The size of the fund short position in continued to rise in early March, according to the latest Commitments of Traders data out from the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). As of March 7, the net managed money short position in canola came in at 46,222 contracts (61,998 short/15,776 long), an increase […] Read more

ICE July 2023 canola with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

ICE weekly outlook: Canola continues its collapse

Limited demand, more farmer selling seen

MarketsFarm — After losing $62 per tonne the week before, the May contract on the ICE Futures canola market extended its losses for the week ended Wednesday with little relief on the horizon. Winnipeg-based trader Jerry Klassen of Resilient Commodity Analysis said the massive selloff is the result of farmers realizing there wouldn’t be a […] Read more


ICE May 2023 canola with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

ICE weekly outlook: No floor in sight for overdone canola

'A lot of money playing around in canola right now'

MarketsFarm — The ICE Futures canola market was in freefall mode through the first half of March, hitting its weakest levels in over a year. While the losses may be looking overdone, the bottom remains to be seen. “This has been a brutal drop in canola,” said Bruce Burnett, director of markets and weather with […] Read more

A look at the damage flea beetles can cause to otherwise healthy canola plants.

Tips for flea beetle control

The pros and cons of insecticide seed treatments and in-season foliar sprays, application advice and a concerning trend

On average, more than 22 million acres of canola are planted in Western Canada each spring.  Flea beetles will damage or destroy a significant portion of those cropped acres in any given year. What can farmers do to best protect their crops? The two most common options are treated seed and insecticide sprays. Insecticide seed […] Read more