Signage on Viterra’s office building in Regina. (Dave Bedard photo)

Bunge, Viterra confirm marriage plans

Firms to merge under Bunge banner

The grain handler built out from the foundations of the former Prairie pools is set to be absorbed into one of the world’s biggest grain trading firms in a cash-and-stock deal. After the news leaked out last month, Rotterdam-based Viterra confirmed Tuesday morning it’s “concluded an agreement” to merge into Bunge — the St. Louis-based […] Read more

(File photo by Dave Bedard)

Fund short position grows in canola

Traders net long in soy, K.C. wheat

MarketsFarm — The speculative short position in canola grew to is largest level in nearly three months in early June, as investors covered longs and put on more bearish bets, according to the latest Commitments of Traders report from the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). As of Tuesday (June 6), the net managed money […] Read more


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

U.S. grains: Corn climbs on dry conditions

Wheat follows corn higher, soybeans mixed

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn futures rose to a nearly two-month high on Monday as traders fretted about disappointing weekend rains and dry conditions stressing crops in portions of the Midwest crop belt, analysts said. Wheat futures followed, finding additional support from rising tensions in the Black Sea region. Soybean futures settled mixed, with […] Read more

Dustin McLaren, a territory manager for Corteva Agriscience, inspects lentils

New tool for anthracnose control in lentils

Zetigo PRM targets disease with a novel mode of action and helps farmers manage fungicide resistance

Anthracnose can be a serious problem in lentils in Western Canada. As Mike Brown, agronomy manager for Saskatchewan Pulse Growers, points out, the disease can result in heavy yield losses due to premature leaf drop and plant death. “Anthracnose is a polycyclic disease, which means it can go through multiple life cycles during the growing […] Read more


(Thinkstock photo)

Prairie cash wheat: Hard red spring wheat bids rise

MGEX wheat rally offsets rising loonie

MarketsFarm — Spring wheat bids in Western Canada were mostly higher during the week ended Thursday, as a rally in Minneapolis spring wheat futures countered the bearish influence of a rising Canadian dollar. Average Canada Western Red Spring (CWRS, 13.5 per cent protein) wheat prices were up by $8.80-$10.70 per tonne across the Prairies, according […] Read more

(Qingwa/iStock/Getty Images)

USDA’s June WASDE report brings few notable changes

Canadian wheat harvest expectation unchanged

MarketsFarm — Very few major changes were made in the latest edition of the world agriculture supply and demand estimates (WASDE) published Friday by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. For the 2023-24 crop year, USDA pegged total domestic wheat production at 1.665 billion bushels, slightly higher than the 1.659 billion in the department’s May estimates. […] Read more


CBOT July 2023 soybeans with 20-day moving average (dark green line, right scale) and CBOT July 2023 soybean oil (yellow line, left scale). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Soybeans up as soyoil touches one-month high

Traders watch U.S. crop weather forecasts

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Board of Trade soybean futures exceeded a three-week high on Friday as demand from end-users helped push soybean oil above a one-month peak, traders said. Spillover support from soyoil’s rally lifted soybeans while corn futures slumped, traders said. Soyoil has advanced more than 22 per cent since dropping on May […] Read more

File photo of a cornfield in Mexico. (Roberto Cabrera/iStock/Getty Images)

Canada gets in on U.S. trade challenge of Mexico’s GM corn ban

Canada to have third party role in CUSMA dispute consultations

A U.S. challenge under the Canada-U.S.-Mexico free trade agreement (CUSMA), against Mexico’s planned ban on genetically modified corn, will now also have Canada at the table. Rob Stewart, Canada’s deputy minister for international trade, wrote Friday to U.S. and Mexican trade officials, formally announcing Canada’s intent to take part in the CUSMA dispute settlement consultations […] Read more


(RennMill.com)

Degelman buys grain bagging, milling equipment firm Renn

Alberta equipment maker's staff to continue with Degelman

Regina ag implement maker Degelman Industries has bought into the grain bagging and grain milling equipment business with a deal for Alberta manufacturer Renn Mill Center. Degelman, in a release Thursday, said it recently bought the Lacombe, Alta. company for an undisclosed sum and will keep Renn’s existing employees and management in place. In business […] Read more

Timing of post-harvest spray applications is an important factor to consider. For example, some perennial weeds like Canada thistle require four to six weeks to regrow for a post-harvest herbicide application to be effective, which can be difficult in areas that receive early snowfalls.

Tips and strategies for pre- and post-harvest weed control

While in-field scouting tops the list, also consider post-spray followups, detailed record keeping, weed assessments, water quality and more

Sometimes the simplest solutions are the best ones. Breanne Tidemann, an Alberta-based researcher with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), says boots on the ground remains one of the most effective strategies when it comes to weed control. “Don’t rely, especially in the spring, on the 80-kilometre-per-hour drive-by. Get out and get those boots on the […] Read more