CBOT December 2019 corn with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Corn jumps four per cent

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn futures surged more than four per cent on Friday while wheat and soybeans also firmed, buoyed by expectations for a partial U.S.-China trade deal and worries about wintry weather threatening crops in the Midwest, analysts said. Chicago Board of Trade December corn settled up 17-1/2 cents at $3.97-3/4 a […] Read more

BASF’s 2020 canola will come in different-sized bags, labelled A, B, C and D. All bags will contain at least 4.25 million seeds. “A” bags will hold the smallest seeds, and weigh 42.2 pounds. The largest seeds will be sold in “D”-labelled bags, and weigh 56.7 pounds. Recommended seeding rates vary from 4.2 pounds/acre of “A” seeds to 5.7 pounds/acre of “D” seeds.

BASF talks hybrid wheat and canola revolutions

Big changes are ahead for wheat technology; buy your canola in new bag sizes

Jonathan Sweat, BASF’s vice-president, business management agricultural solutions, made a trip to the Canadian Prairies this summer to visit farms and attend Ag in Motion, where he took time to talk to Grainews. After more than 20 years at BASF, Sweat is still enthusiastic about the company’s investment in research. “About 40 per cent of […] Read more


CBOT December 2019 corn with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Corn falls after higher yield estimate surprises traders

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn futures dropped to their lowest prices in more than a week on Thursday after the U.S. Agriculture Department surprised traders by raising its domestic yield estimate in a monthly crop report. The losses dragged down soybean futures, which earlier approached a three-month high on lower-than-expected U.S. yield and ending […] Read more



CBOT December 2019 wheat with 20-, 50- and 200-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Wheat, corn, soy rally after finding technical support

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn, soybean and wheat futures rose on Tuesday, rebounding from weakness in the overnight session after finding technical support, traders said. Wheat notched the biggest gain, with the benchmark Chicago Board of Trade soft red winter wheat contract rising 2.3 per cent. The contract rebounded from early weakness after finding […] Read more






(Country Guide file photo)

Prairie cash wheat: CWRS down, durum up

MarketsFarm — Wheat bids in Western Canada were mixed for the week ended Thursday. Canada Western Red Spring (CWRS) and Canada Prairie Spring Red (CPSR) wheats saw losses, while Canada Western Amber Durum (CWAD) saw gains. The Canadian dollar was higher for most of the past week, topping off at 75.55 U.S. cents on Tuesday, […] Read more

These photos, taken on August 15 just west of Edmonton, show classic copper deficiency. The field is a sandy loam soil with five to six per cent organic matter. The roadway, built about 10 years ago, has shoulders made up from deep-dug clay loam piled onto the field from the ditch. This clay loam is low in organic matter, probably one to two per cent or less, but high in available copper (see more below, including video).

Identifying copper deficiency in wheat

Ieuan Evans looks at 2019 growing conditions, including areas where copper levels are low


In early August in central Alberta I was still seeing yellow fields of canola. Honeybees and mosquitoes were having an extended nectar flowing season. I will stick my neck out as usual and make a few observations and prophecies across the Western Prairies. Crops are late in the northern part of the Western Prairies, but […] Read more