Maybe it’s the sky high price of canola. Maybe it’s the tightening stocks-to-use ratio on many commodities. Maybe it’s all the uncertainty in a pandemic-stricken world. Whatever the reasons, new crop production contracts are more widely available than usual for this time of year and some are worthy of consideration. Saskatoon’s Crop Production Show in […] Read more
Flax
New crop production contracts early this year
Controlling weeds with insects
Some insects are fussy eaters and it’s a weakness farmers and ranchers can exploit to control noxious weeds. One of the best-known examples of this plant-insect relationship is the monarch butterfly, whose larvae feed exclusively on milkweed. “The monarch butterfly is a good example of something that would make a really good biocontrol agent, should […] Read more
Rising demand boosts flax
A leading international oilseed analyst is shedding some light on why Canadian flax prices are approaching record levels. Some Canadian analysts are speculating that the strong prices are the result of either a Black Sea crop failure or logistical problems in that region of the world. “The disruption of the flax supply in the Black […] Read more
Easy to second guess pre-priced grain this year
Could’ve, would’ve, should’ve — the lament over selling grain too soon. Over the past two months, most grain prices have increased significantly. In fact, some of the increases can be characterized as dramatic. Back in the first half of September, for a crop return analysis in this column, I collected pricing data based on published […] Read more
CGC suspends pulse buyers’ licences
Suspension means Canpulse Foods and Global Grain Canada cannot buy grain from farmers or issue Canadian Grain Commission grade names
Farmers who have sold grain to Canpulse Foods or Global Grain Canada Ltd. and haven’t been paid should contact the Canadian Grain Commission. On Oct. 31 the CGC suspended the licences of three inter-related companies, which buy pulse and special crops from prairie farmers. “We’re asking producers to contact us immediately, if they have not […] Read more
Higher flax prices baffle market analysts
Some analysts think speculative buying from overseas brokers who are convinced the market is rising are driving up prices
Chuck Penner is confused about what is keeping flax prices elevated. “We’re actually close to 10-year highs right now in prices, which is hard to compute based on the size of the Canadian and the Black Sea crops together,” said the analyst with LeftField Commodity Research. Buyers were paying $16.50 per bushel for brown flax […] Read more
Trade mission restrictions throttle market information flow
Commodity and trade groups are feeling the effect of not being able to conduct in-person intelligence gathering because of COVID-19 rules
Few organizations have been more directly impacted by COVID-19 than the Saskatchewan Trade and Export Partnership. STEP used to organize 40 to 45 national and international trade missions every year. “Since the pandemic has occurred we haven’t had one international in-person mission,” said STEP president Chris Dekker. The organization has hosted more than 50 virtual […] Read more
Tight supply boosts prospects for flax market
There are reports that the crop yields in the Black Sea region may be in trouble, particularly Russia and Kazakhstan
A small Canadian carryout combined with production problems in the Black Sea region bodes well for the flax market, say analysts. “You’ve got snug supplies so to me flax can maintain an elite pricing structure for the year,” said Greg Kostal, analyst with Kostal Ag Consulting. It is difficult to ascertain production information out of […] Read moreExtensive hail damage reported
Hailstorms wreaked their usual spotty havoc across the Prairies in the first half of August, the Canadian Crop Hail Association reports. Members of the association are investigating more than 800 claims of crop damage reported to have occurred between Aug. 7 and 15. In Saskatchewan, claims have been filed by farmers near Choiceland, Redvers, Bengough, […] Read more
Company develops biofuel market for flax straw
When Rumpelstiltskin turned straw into gold in the famous Grimm Brothers fairy tale, he used his magical powers and an old spinning wheel in the dungeon of a king’s castle. When Regina-based company Prairie Clean Energy does it, it will use a proprietary processing technology and flax straw, an agricultural byproduct that’s typically considered worthless […] Read more
