ICE October 2018 canola, with Bollinger (20,2) bands. (Barchart)

ICE weekly outlook: Canola still watching soy, weather

CNS Canada — ICE Futures canola contracts moved off their nearby lows over the week ended Wednesday as persistent harvest delays provided support. Additional strength, however, may be dependent on movement in the Chicago soybean market. “Soybeans will be the driving force behind which way canola futures go,” said commodities investment advisor David Derwin of […] Read more

Plant density was low in some areas. The plants in these patchy regions were also much smaller than those in the rest of the field.

Crop advisor casebook: Patchy problems in a canola field

A Crop Advisor's Solution from the September 25, 2018 issue of Grainews

On June 11, while spraying his canola plants with an in-crop herbicide, Wade noticed regions of the crop had uneven emergence, causing some patchy areas. Wade farms 10,000 acres of canola, wheat and barley near Yorkton, Sask. He thought he might have an insect problem in his canola crop. “My guess is it’s flea beetles or cutworms,” he said. […] Read more


Statistics Canada’s model-based report is based in part on data from sensors on the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) series of satellites. The Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), shown here for Sept. 16 over an NOAA satellite map of North America, is used to gauge surface vegetation content. (OSPO.noaa.gov)

Canola, wheat crop size hiked in StatsCan’s view from space

CNS Canada — Statistics Canada raised its production estimates for most crops across Western Canada in its latest report released Wednesday. Unlike traditional StatsCan reports using information gathered from phone surveys, the model-based report was based in part on coarse-resolution satellite imagery collected during the month of August. The model-based report has only been in […] Read more

(Brazzo/iStock/Getty Images)

Canola crush margins tightest in years

CNS Canada — Canola crush margins have fallen to some of their lowest levels in more than a decade, which should keep a lid on any upside in prices. As of Thursday, the canola board crush margin calculated by ICE Futures U.S. was only about $26 above the November contract, which compares with levels a […] Read more



horizontal image of five round steel grain bins sitting in a yellow canola field under a very cloudy sky in the summer

On-farm storage and canola grain quality

Control what you can, and take steps to manage the rest

When it comes to your on-farm storage and maintaining canola grain quality, there are some elements you can control — and others you can’t. One area you can influence is the original condition of the canola seed going into your bins. Swathing at the correct stage or straight-cutting will help minimize many of the quality […] Read more


(Photo courtesy Canola Council of Canada)

Large Canadian canola ending stocks expected

CNS Canada — Canada’s canola ending stocks as of July 31 came in at about a million tonnes above the previous year’s carryout — but were still well within trade expectations. Canola supplies as of July 31 were estimated at 2.391 million tonnes by Statistics Canada on Thursday, with 954,000 tonnes of that in commercial […] Read more



Flea beetle. (Photo courtesy Canola Council of Canada)

Neonic phase-out may limit flea beetle control tools

CNS Canada — The phasing out of neonicotinoid seed treatments in Canada may cause problems for the country’s canola growers when dealing with flea beetles — but alternatives pesticides could fill the gap. Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) is proposing that two neonicotinoid pesticides, clothianidin and thiamethoxam, be phased out over the next […] Read more

Bernie McClean's annual crop rotation includes canola, CPS wheat, malt barley and oats.

Extending rotations, in the field

Part 1 of 3: How real farmers are extending their rotations

There seems to be no shortage of articles, presentations and research exhorting farmers to lengthen rotations. Longer rotations benefit everything from weed control to disease suppression in crops. But what are farmers doing to maintain or extend rotations? Grainews spoke to three farmers to find out how they’re managing their rotations. And while each farmer […] Read more