Western Canada Archives - Page 2 of 11

ICE Canada Weekly: Attention on canola to soon turn from yields to demand

By Glen Hallick - MarketsFarm July 24, 2024

At this time there have yet to be any firm estimates as to what canola yields on the Canadian Prairies are most likely to be. However, once those start rolling in, the canola market will shift towards demand, according to broker Tony Tryhuk of RBC Dominion Securities in Winnipeg.

Canola, Crops

The march of the cabbage seedpod weevil

Cooler, wetter spring could favour the pests this year

By Don Norman June 28, 2024

The cool, damp spring the Prairies are experiencing could lead to a bad year for cabbage seedpod weevils, which is bad news for canola growers. “They seem to like it a little bit cooler, rather than very hot, and can suffer with great heat and very dry conditions,” Saskatchewan Agriculture entomologist James Tansey says. “That […] Read more

Markets

Pulse Weekly: Chickpea prices drop, acres likely to increase

By GFM Network News March 26, 2024

Recent price declines for Western Canadian chickpeas do not seem to be deterring growers from seeding the crop this spring.

Markets

Feed grain weekly: Buyers waiting longer to purchase more grain

U.S. corn shipments continue to put pressure on feed prices

By GFM Network News February 15, 2024

Buying activity for feed barley and feed wheat in Western Canada is moving slowly and prices continue to decline, according to Susanne Leclerc, owner of Market Master Ltd. in Edmonton.

Livestock, Markets

Prairie feed market remains under pressure

U.S. corn imports adding to lack of demand for domestic barley

By GFM Network News February 1, 2024

Feed grain markets in Western Canada remain under pressure, with end users well covered and farmers still sitting on large amounts of unpriced grain.

The young Packard’s grasshopper is green with black scattered dots that resemble pepper. The adult version seen here is grey to dark yellow with two light-coloured stripes behind the eyes and grey forewings.

Crops, Features

Grasshoppers: Brace for impact

The past year was bad for grasshoppers on the Prairies and 2024 could be worse, experts warn

By Jim Timlick January 31, 2024

It’s still the middle of winter, but it’s never too early to think about grasshoppers. That was one message delivered at last month’s Canola Week annual meetings in Calgary, which brought together canola industry leaders from across North America. Meghan Vankosky, a field crop entomologist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada based in Saskatoon, spoke during […] Read more

Canada’s calf crop doesn’t move through expansion and contraction as it does in the U.S., but over the next year, we may see the Canadian herd mirror U.S. expansion.

Cattleman’s Corner, Columns, Markets

Is it time for beef cow herd expansion?

Prices for calves have been strong, but it usually takes a year of high calf prices before expansion starts

By Jerry Klassen January 22, 2024

Feeder cattle have been trading near historical highs over the past six months. I’ve received many emails and inquiries from cattle producers asking if there is still an opportunity to expand their herds. Producers also ask if they should buy now or wait until spring. Medium-quality bred cows have been trading in the range of […] Read more

A chickpea and flax intercrop mix on Colin Rosengren’s farm at Midale, Sask.

Columns, Crops

Cover crops: enough already

The benefits are often 'blown up' while the challenges are understated

By Les Henry January 2, 2024

Cover crops is a topic with a lot of ink spilled in many farm publications in recent years. Some scribblers seem to imply that a farmer is a laggard and an environmental hazard if she/he is not using cover crops on a regular basis. Cover crops actually include a wide variety of cropping sequences, and […] Read more

Crops, Markets

Good quality Canadian malt barley despite lower yields

CDC Copeland acres declined, with AAC Synergy the most popular malting variety

By GFM Network News December 19, 2023

Hot and dry growing conditions cut into barley yields in Western Canada in 2023 but the quality was generally good, according to the yearly annual harvest report on barley quality from the Canadian Grain Commission (CGC).

General, Weather

Long-range outlook points to warmer winter

Odds less likely for Prairies next three months

By GFM Network News October 31, 2023

MarketsFarm — Warmer than normal temperatures are expected across nearly all of Canada this winter, with average precipitation for most of the agricultural areas of the Prairies. The latest long-range seasonal forecast from Environment Canada, released Tuesday, calls for a 40 per cent chance of above-normal temperatures from November through January across most of Alberta, […] Read more

Alberta crop conditions improve: report

U.S. grains: Corn sets contract lows on expectations for big US crop

U.S. livestock: Cattle strength continues

GFM Network News