Brown mustard. (Peggy Greb photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

Frost damage to Prairie mustard still to be determined

CNS Canada –– The president of the Saskatchewan Mustard Development Commission says he’s optimistic this year’s mustard crop will be OK after temperatures dipped below freezing over the weekend. In an interview Monday, Richard Marleau said it will take another four to five days before anyone knows for sure. In southwestern Saskatchewan, “it was 0 […] Read more


Brown mustard. (Peggy Greb photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

Uncertainty over mustard acreage helps underpin market

CNS Canada –– Mustard acreage in Western Canada looks to remain relatively firm compared to last year’s total, according to an expert in the industry. However, he noted, ambiguity surrounding just how many acres will be seeded is keeping prices firm. Walter Dyck of Wisconsin-based Olds Products said there are few carry-over supplies of mustard […] Read more

flax flower

Niche crops can pay well

Future crop prices are anyone’s guess; contracts can give you pricing security


What should I grow? What is going to make me money? These are common question this time of year. If only grain brokers had a crystal ball to answer that question with assurance! But at the end of the day the professional experts and even the coffee shop geniuses are really only taking a stab […] Read more


Brown mustard. (Peggy Greb photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

Inelastic demand to keep mustard well supported

Winnipeg | CNS Canada –– The inelastic demand for Canada’s mustard crop is expected to keep prices well supported, as the country is the major world supplier and end-users need to make sure the acres keep going in the ground. “There’s no substitute for mustard,” Walter Dyck of Olds Products told the annual Wild Oats […] Read more



Brown mustard. (Peggy Greb photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

Mustard prices softening, but oriental holding its own

CNS Canada — Mustard prices have been drifting lower but oriental varieties have been showing relative strength. Despite a turbulent growing season, complete with hailstorms and excess rain, a prominent mustard merchant says most of the samples he’s seen to date are No. 1 grade. Walter Dyck, a buyer with Wisconsin-based Olds Food Products, said […] Read more

Brown mustard. (Peggy Greb photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

Mustard facing stiff Ukrainian competition

CNS Canada — Canadian mustard prices are holding steady but facing stiff competition from Ukraine, according to market participants. “What the market is seeing (for a) bid is 32 to 33 cents for yellow. A bit in the high 20s for brown mustard,” said Walter Dyck, a buyer with Wisconsin-based Olds Food Products. Values are […] Read more


canola plant

Swede Midge: a potential ‘perfect storm’

There’s a new canola pest in town. 
It’s hard to spot and hard to control, 
but the damage it causes is easy to detect

Look up “perfect storm” in Wikipedia and you will see it is used to describe an event where a combination of circumstances will aggravate a situation drastically — and in a bad way. Such is the potential situation with an up-to-now unknown and non-native pest of cruciferous plants — swede midge. “This pest displays a […] Read more