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Feed weekly outlook: Market not bottomed yet

MarketsFarm — Falling feed grain prices in Western Canada have not hit the bottom just yet, especially as harvest delays lead to quality downgrades. “I would say it’s coming down quite a bit more,” said Mike Fleischhauer of Eagle Commodities in Lethbridge. The barley and wheat harvests are running behind normal in both Saskatchewan and […] Read more




The USDA building in Washington, D.C. (Art Wager/iStock/Getty Images)

Global wheat production to decrease, USDA says

MarketsFarm — In the latest supply and demand report from U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the global wheat forecast was revised downward due to difficult weather conditions. USDA has now projected 765.53 million tonnes of wheat to be produced in 2019-20, according to the department’s world agriculture supply and demand estimates (WASDE), released Thursday. That’s […] Read more



New barley breeding efforts aim for a replacement for AC Metcalfe

New barley breeding efforts aim for a replacement for AC Metcalfe

Breeders have recently focused their efforts on the craft brewers

Aaron Beattie is a barley breeder at the University of Saskatchewan’s Crop Development Centre. Beattie is looking for a replacement for AC Metcalfe. AC Metcalfe is a high enzymatic variety, so it’s suitable for large-scale brewers. A new variety, CDC Fraser, is also high in enzymes and offers more in terms of disease resistance and […] Read more



(Country Guide file photo)

Prairie wheat bids edge lower

MarketsFarm — Wheat bids in Western Canada edged lower during the week ended Thursday, as seasonal harvest pressure and strength in the Canadian dollar weighed on values. The Canadian dollar was up by roughly a third of a cent relative to its U.S. counterpart on the week. Minneapolis spring wheat futures held steady, but Kansas […] Read more


File photo of wheat being loaded onto a bulk vessel at port in Russia. (YGrek/iStock/Getty Images)

Brazil expected to introduce tariff-free wheat import quota from 2020

Sao Paulo | Reuters — Brazil is expected to introduce a tariff-free wheat import quota of 750,000 tonnes per year starting from 2020, the president of the country’s wheat industry group Abitrigo, Rubens Barbosa, said on Tuesday. Brazil announced the opening of the tariff-free wheat import quota earlier this year in connection with President Jair […] Read more

AC Metcalfe is one of the most popular malt barley varieties.

New malting barley variety acceptance an uphill battle

While the industry works to market new varieties, farmers seed the old standbys

Farmers choosing malt barley seed in the spring of 2019 would have seen CDC Copeland and AC Metcalfe at the top of the list of recommended varieties published by the Canadian Malting Barley Technical Centre (CMBTC). CDC Copeland was registered 20 years ago, in 1999. AC Metcalfe was registered in 1997. While the list includes newer varieties, barley […] Read more