A trouble-free harvest and pandemic restrictions have given producers a rare commodity: ample time to take stock and plan for next year. Unfortunately, too few will use this opportunity. “The sad story is that 21 percent of farmers across Canada have a written business plan and less have other forms of written plans,” said Heather […] Read more
Russian wheat tax could slash exports
The tax, combined with winter grain crops in poor condition heading into dormancy, is expected to boost wheat prices
SovEcon has further slashed its 2020-21 Russian wheat export forecast, which could mean rising prices. The Russian agriculture consultancy firm is now predicting 36.3 million tonnes of exports, down from its November forecast of 40.8 million tonnes. That is well below the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s December estimate of 40 million tonnes. SovEcon’s drastic reduction […] Read more
Verticillium stripe moves west into Sask.
The soil-borne disease that caused yield losses in Manitoba canola crops this year was also found in Saskatchewan fields
A soil-borne disease first detected in Manitoba in 2014 caused yield losses in 2020 canola crops. Verticillium stripe appears to be making its way west, as some fields in Saskatchewan showed symptoms this summer as well. Justine Cornelsen, agronomy specialist at the Canola Council of Canada, said verticillium longisporum is different from another species, verticillium […] Read more
Prospects look bright for canaryseed, mustard, sunflowers
The price outlook appears promising for some of Canada’s special crops, says an analyst. Marlene Boersch, managing partner of Mercantile Consulting Venture, is forecasting tight canaryseed ending stocks in 2020-21. “I would say that the price outlook is fairly firm. It’s certainly not an oversupply situation,” she told delegates attending the Canadian Special Crops Association’s […] Read more
Sunflower prices ride new bird craze
Old crop prices called ‘astronomically high’ as COVID-19 isolation prompts more people to feed birds this summer
Prices for sunflowers, if a buyer can even find them, are in the stratosphere. In most years, oilseed sunflowers sell for 20 to 25 cents per pound in Manitoba. Right now, some farmers are asking for 40 cents per lb. “Pricing on old crop is astronomically high. I have not seen sunflowers selling for the […] Read moreTour company specializes in farms
From the fresh fruit of the Okanagan to wide stretches of colourful grain fields and hundreds of different varieties of livestock, Richard Buck knows the best way to see Canada is to visit Canadian farms. Buck, who began his career at the University of Guelph’s school of agriculture in the 1980s, remembers being asked as […] Read more
Portable grain storage circle simplified
Low oil prices decimated demand for ethanol grains. COVID-19 decimated demand for livestock feed grains. That means if the 2020 crop is near average, it could spark big demand for temporary grain storage. Nobody likes to invest in temporary shortage, but it’s one of those things you can’t do without, like a tractor. With that […] Read more
Scoular makes investment in bird seed plant in Manitoba
Sunflower acres were expected to increase in the province this spring because of solid demand and stronger prices
Manitoba sunflower growers had a reason to celebrate on Canada Day. Scoular, a U.S. company with more than $4 billion in annual sales, has invested in its bird food manufacturing plant in Winkler, Man. The expansion of the facility means sunflower growers have a reliable buyer for their crop. “At Scoular, we think of ourselves […] Read moreWhen a schoolyard became a garden
Day after day we had been cooped up in a stuffy classroom, plugging away at our Grade 5 lessons. But who could concentrate on a dull history assignment when brand new lambs were gamboling in farm pastures, white-faced calves were racing around corrals and fluffy yellow chicks were peeping out from under brooding hens? We […] Read more
Scoular invests in bird seed plant
Manitoba sunflower growers have a reason to celebrate on Canada Day. Scoular, a U.S. company with more than $4 billion in annual sales, has invested in its bird food manufacturing plant in Winkler, Man. The expansion of the facility means sunflower growers have a reliable buyer for their crop. “At Scoular, we think of ourselves […] Read more
