File photo of potatoes in storage. (Kativ/E+/Getty Images)

Potato storage research to get boost

A federal-provincial investment goes to improve an existing storage facility at the University of Manitoba

Manitoba’s potato research landscape is getting a funding injection to improve infrastructure. The governments of Canada and Manitoba are investing $98,970 through the Canadian Agricultural Partnership to upgrade the University of Manitoba’s horticulture storage facility so it can conduct potato research. Federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau and provincial Agriculture Minister Derek Johnson made the announcement […] Read more

(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Feed weekly outlook: Barley, wheat prices continue downward

Oats, canola meal also bound for feedlots

MarketsFarm — As colder temperatures descend onto the Prairies, buying activity for feed barley and wheat was just as frigid. “A lot of guys are fairly caught up with purchasing,” said Mike Fleischhauer of Eagle Commodities Inc. in Lethbridge. “You see the prices of wheat and barley start to trickle down a little bit. Corn’s […] Read more


CBOT March 2023 soft red winter wheat with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Wheat, soy, corn up on strong export report

South America crop progress limits corn, soy gains

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat, corn and soybeans jumped on Thursday on support from a government report that showed strong overseas demand for all three commodities, traders said. “We had some decent export sales compared to what we have seen the last few weeks and that trend, particularly for corn and wheat, is likely […] Read more

Research studies in Western Canada have shown general applications of boron fertilizer are not warranted to optimize canola yields or quality.

Do Prairie crops need boron fertilizer?

Before you apply boron fertilizer, read this

We often hear about the need for boron (B) fertilizer to optimize canola production and occasionally for other crops. However, boron is not widely used as a fertilizer in Western Canada. In the fall of 2021, Fertilizer Canada surveyed western Canadian wheat and canola growers to determine fertilizer use. This survey found about 8.6 per […] Read more


File photo of a cow grazing near Leader, Sask., about 85 km south of Kindersley. (James_Gabbert/iStock/Getty Images)

Saskatchewan holds Crown grazing rents at last year’s levels

Also, leaseholders on drought-downgraded land eligible for rate cut

Cattle producers leasing Crown land for grazing in Saskatchewan won’t see a rate hike this year and may be eligible for a significant rate cut. The provincial government announced Wednesday it has frozen the rates charged to producers who lease Crown grazing land in 2023 at their 2022 level. The freeze will apply to all […] Read more

ICE March 2023 canola with Bollinger bands (20,2). (Barchart)

ICE weekly outlook: Canola trading window lowered

A crude oil downturn would pressure canola, loonie

MarketsFarm — The ICE Futures canola market posted steady losses for five sessions, testing the lower edge of their well-established trading ranges before finally uncovering some support on Wednesday. The losses did damage from a chart perspective, with the activity bumping the trading window lower, according to an analyst. “Overall, both on old- and new-crop, […] Read more



The Mosaic Co. potash mine at Colonsay, Sask., southeast of Saskatoon. (MosaicInCanada.com)

Mosaic says stockpiles too high to restart Saskatchewan mine

Company expects Russia, Belarus 2023 potash exports at 2022 level

Winnipeg | Reuters — Fertilizer producer Mosaic Co. does not currently see the right market conditions to restart its idled Saskatchewan potash mine, with high inventories in the U.S. and Brazil and cold weather slowing trains from Canada, CEO Joc O’Rourke said Wednesday. Mosaic curtailed potash production in December at its Colonsay, Sask. mine, but […] Read more


File photo overlooking the marina and sea wall at Half Moon Bay, about 30 km south of San Francisco. (JasonDoiy/E+/Getty Images)

Suspect in California farm worker shootings appears in court

Early evidence suggests workplace grievance, authorities say

Redwood City, Calif. | Reuters — A California farm worker accused of shooting seven people to death near San Francisco, some of them his co-workers, made his first court appearance on Wednesday after he was charged with murder in the state’s second deadly gun rampage in recent days. Chunli Zhao, 66, the lone suspect in […] Read more

CBOT March 2023 soft red winter wheat with 20-day moving average (green line), MGEX March 2023 hard red spring wheat (yellow line) and K.C. March 2023 hard red winter wheat (orange line). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Wheat futures rise on Ukraine war concerns

March corn sags, March soybeans up

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat futures rose on Wednesday on concerns that any intensification of Russia’s war on Ukraine could clog the export pipeline from those two major exporters. “I think the market is trying to price in an increasing likelihood that an escalation … turns into a European theatre war,” said Mike Zuzolo, […] Read more