File photo of a barley seedling. (SusanHSmith/iStock/Getty Images)

Feed weekly outlook: Grain area to increase this year

Oats area expected to be reduced

MarketsFarm — Early signs point to increased Canadian feed grain production in 2023-24, with record corn acreage intentions and increases in both barley and wheat area on the year, according to the latest estimates from Statistics Canada. Planted corn area in the country is forecast at 3.725 million acres in 2023, which would be up […] Read more

Crown rust produces tiny, orange pustules on oat leaves. Each pustule contains thousands of spores that can travel long distances when released.

How to control crown rust in oats

In severe cases, it can slash yields by up to 40 per cent. Here are four strategies to help keep that from happening

Something Prairie oat producers need to keep a sharp eye out for this summer is crown rust. James Menzies, a plant pathologist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) in Morden, Man., says you’ll find crown rust wherever oats are grown, except in very arid climates. It’s more damaging than any other oat disease, causing yield […] Read more


The grasshopper species that damage crops

The grasshopper species that damage crops

Q & A with an expert

Q: Are all grasshoppers crop pests?  A: In Canada, there are approximately 200 different species of grasshoppers. Of these 200 species, more than 85 are found in fields and pastures on the Prairies. With so many species, it can be difficult to know which ones to be concerned about.  On the Prairies, there are four […] Read more

Trucks wait for crossing into Poland at the Rava-Ruska border checkpoint in Ukraine’s Lviv region on April 17, 2023. (Photo: Reuters/Roman Baluk)

European Commission to ban Ukrainian grain exports to Romania

Talks ongoing with Ukraine's other neighbours

Bucharest | Reuters — The European Commission will ban Ukrainian grain and oilseeds exports to Romania until June 5, Romanian Agriculture Minister Petre Daea said on Wednesday. Romania has stopped short of enforcing a ban, whereas Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria and Slovakia took unilateral steps to protect local markets from a flow of Ukrainian farm products. […] Read more


Vessels are seen as they await inspection under the Black Sea Grain Initiative, brokered by the UN and Turkey, in the southern anchorage of the Bosphorus at Istanbul on Dec. 11, 2022. (File photo: Reuters/Yoruk Isik)

Russian envoy says no breakthrough on grain deal

Ukraine says Moscow blocking ships

Geneva | Reuters — Russia’s envoy to the United Nations in Geneva on Wednesday said “no real progress” had been achieved in resolving issues raised by Moscow over the Black Sea grain deal, which is set to expire next month. Separately, Ukraine accused Russia of blocking the passage of four grain ships from its Black […] Read more

CBOT July 2023 soft red winter wheat with 100-day moving average, Minneapolis July 2023 hard red spring wheat (yellow line) and K.C. July 2023 hard red winter wheat (orange line). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Chicago wheat closes down as global supplies look strong

Market monitoring Plains rain relief, Black Sea grain talks

Mexico City | Reuters — Chicago grains and soybean futures closed lower to mixed on Wednesday, as traders eyed sluggish demand and upcoming U.S. export sales data. Wheat fell on news of ample short-term global supplies, despite the risk that an agreement allowing exports from war-torn Ukraine may end next month. Canadian farmers intend to […] Read more


Damage is seen from a rain-wrapped tornado at Cole, Okla., just south of Oklahoma City, on April 19, 2023, in a screengrab from a social media video. (Photo: Hans Duran video screengrab via Reuters)

CBOT weekly outlook: U.S. rain, StatCan report biggest influences

Russia's sabre-rattling not yet swaying markets

MarketsFarm — The three to five inches of rain received Wednesday in Kansas and Oklahoma have put pressure on Kansas City and Chicago wheat prices on the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT), according to broker Ryan Ettner of Allendale Inc. Added to that, Statistics Canada’s (StatCan) report on prospective plantings, also received Wednesday, has weighed […] Read more

File photo of wheat seedlings. (Volodymyr Shtun/iStock/Getty Images)

StatCan expects more wheat, canola acres in 2023

Corn, soy, barley acres also expected up

MarketsFarm — Canadian farmers intend to plant more wheat and canola in 2023, with soybeans, corn and barley area also forecast to expand, according to Statistics Canada’s projections for field crop area. The increases in those crops will come at the expense of oats, lentils and peas, with intended summerfallow area down to its smallest […] Read more


(Merit Functional Foods video screengrab via YouTube)

Merit Foods co-owner Burcon partnering on bid for assets

Unnamed 'plant protein company' now in on Burcon's bid

A major shareholder in beleaguered pea and canola protein processor Merit Functional Foods has brought on an unnamed partner in its bid to buy the business out of receivership. After announcing last month it would submit a bid for the next-to-new Merit assets, Vancouver-based plant protein firm Burcon NutraScience said Monday it’s now “participating in […] Read more

(Romaset/iStock/Getty Images)

Colorado’s ag equipment right-to-repair bill signed into law

Bills introduced in 16 states

Reuters — Colorado’s governor signed the nation’s first right-to-repair legislation into law on Tuesday, giving the state’s farmers and ranchers the autonomy to fix their own equipment. The bill, which requires manufacturers such as Deere and Co. to provide manuals for diagnostic software and other aids, garnered bipartisan support as farmers grew increasingly frustrated with […] Read more