Cereals & Production Tips

Mature winter wheat. (Allan Dawson photo)

CWB tour pegs wheat at 38.9 bushels

By Rod Nickel, GFM Network News July 24, 2015

Regina / Reuters —Western Canada spring wheat, durum and canola yields look to fall sharply from last year’s levels, due to hot, dry conditions, leaders of a crop tour said on Friday. The second-annual CWB Market Research Services crop tour pegged spring wheat yield potential in the region at 38.9 bushels per acre on average, down […] Read more

This photo shows uneven growth in a Montana barley field on June 22. The field is highly infested with cereal cyst nematodes.

Cereals, Crops

Cereal cyst nematodes getting closer to the Prairies

These nematodes are in Montana, and their symptoms are worse in drought conditions

By Julienne Isaacs July 23, 2015

Prairie grain producers should be on the lookout for cereal cyst nematodes (CCN) this year. This soil-borne pest has not yet been discovered in the Prairie provinces, but the species Heterodera filipjevi has been newly confirmed in Montana. Cereal cyst nematodes are worm-shaped, microscopic soil-dwelling organisms that can cause yield losses of 30 to 50 […] Read more

Cereals, Markets, Reuters

Durum faring better in SE Alta: CWB tour

By Rod Nickel, GFM Network News July 22, 2015

Skiff, Alberta / Reuters — Durum, the wheat used to make pasta, has fared better against dry conditions than other major crops in a pocket of southeastern Alberta, crop tour scouts noted on Wednesday. Durum is typically planted in drier soils than spring wheat, but fields still looked surprisingly decent, given some of the driest […] Read more

Crops, Markets, Reuters, Spring Wheat

Spring wheat yields puny in dry Alberta: CWB tour

By Rod Nickel, GFM Network News July 22, 2015

Lethbridge/Reuters — Spring wheat yields measured less than half of last year’s results in drought-stricken southeastern Alberta, but were on track to set a record high in southern Manitoba, during a Canadian crop tour that saw the results of wildly contrasting weather. The tour organized by CWB Market Research Services is travelling on three routes […] Read more

Cereals, Features

Two good reasons for pre-harvest herbicide

Pre-harvest application can give you better weed control  and simplify harvest. But know the residue rules 

By Angela Lovell July 21, 2015

Farming decisions always seem to come back to economics, and whether to do a pre-harvest treatment for perennial weed control or harvest management is no exception. But there are many other considerations such as crop type, geographic location, weather and even trade risks that contribute to that decision, says Clark Brenzil, provincial weed specialist with […] Read more

Canola, Cereals, Markets, Spring Wheat, Winter Wheat

Prairie cash wheat prices down but durum bids up

Average CWRS wheat prices were down by $7 to $12 per tonne over the week

By GFM Network News July 20, 2015

Commodity News Service Canada — Spring wheat cash bids across Western Canada moved lower during the week ended July 17, as losses in the U.S. futures and improving weather conditions in some parts of the Prairies weighed on values. However, durum was the one bright spot from a pricing standpoint, with declining Canadian crop prospects […] Read more

Canola, Crops, Weather, Winter Wheat

Canola replanting may hinder winter wheat seeding

By GFM Network News July 17, 2015

CNS Canada — With canola as the preferred stubble choice into which to seed winter wheat in Western Canada, it’s possible farmers will run into problems seeding this fall due to vast canola reseeding in early June. “The crop insurance said there was over a million acres reseeded (in Manitoba), and when you reseed, unless […] Read more

Cereals, Crops, Weather

Dry weather reducing Prairie wheat midge problems

By GFM Network News July 17, 2015

CNS Canada — Wheat midge hasn’t been causing as many problems as first anticipated in Western Canada this year, as a dry spring hindered the pests’ emergence. The Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture’s wheat midge forecast, released earlier this year, initially showed high risk levels for the insect, but the dryness is hampering their effects on […] Read more

Cereals, Crops, Markets, Weather

Prairie durum prices rising as farmers aren’t selling

By GFM Network News July 16, 2015

CNS Canada — Prices for durum in the Prairie cash market have been on the rise recently, but there are very few actual transactions being made as farmers aren’t selling. “The companies know that, generally speaking, farmers aren’t in the mood to sell, so they’re probably trying to maybe encourage deliveries of last year’s durum, […] Read more

Stripe rust in wheat. (Yue Jin photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

Cereals, Crops, Weather

Manitoba rust diseases dissipate as fusarium appears

By GFM Network News July 16, 2015

CNS Canada –– The spread of leaf and stripe rust in southern Manitoba appears to be over. The diseases, which generally target cereal crops, were thought to have blown up from the northern U.S. in late spring. Fields near Carman and Killarney both tested positive for rust in winter and spring wheat. Recent warm weather, […] Read more

GFM Network News

UN weather agency reviews priorities as funding falls short

Carney visits Asia to forge new alliances and reduce U.S. dependence

Trump says talks with Canada off after ad invokes Reagan as free-trader

Cereals