Sperm suffers when too little semen is used to service too many sows. The problem isn’t too few sperm per shot of semen, says an artificial insemination supply company. Instead, it’s the loss of important compounds in the seminal fluid that keep the sperm alive. The company, Minitube Canada, believes it has found a magic, […] Read more
Ed White
Stories by Ed White
U.S. oat success hinges on Prairies
YORKTON, Sask. – The 200 farmers gathered in a community hall in Yorkton might not seem like a big deal. But these growers are a huge deal to big American oat milling companies that sent their top executives to St. Mary’s Catholic Cultural Centre Dec. 4 to convince Saskatchewan and Manitoba farmers to keep growing […] Read more
Wheat prices expected to rebound next year
Wheat prices are going to have to move higher and offer farmers a profit. That’s the view of Allendale Inc. market analyst Joe Victor, who expects to see the market “buy-in” acres of wheat this winter to fight the flight to corn. “We believe that the (grain) trade is starting to get the hint that […] Read more
Currency swings, energy dominate grain markets
Two conclusions can be reached after looking at the main agricultural commodity markets in the week ending Dec. 19. Either crop futures prices have put in their lows for the year and are beginning to rally, or they haven’t climbed much higher recently and the bottom has yet to be found. It depends on which […] Read more
Which way will the markets blow? – Hedge Row
What happened to the dreamy predictions of a long-term commodity bull market? Is it still alive, or has the recent all-market slump killed the idea and the reality? That was the subject of a series I concluded in last week’s issue. When I announced the series in the Oct.9 paper, I said it would present […] Read more
Fertilizer still keyto good harvest, despite higher prices
YORKTON, Sask. – With fertilizer prices still high, many farmers are thinking about reducing their fertilizer rate this spring. But that would be a mistake, Viterra crop production specialist Thom Weir told the Prairie Oats Growers Association. Spreading inputs thin doesn’t make sense and it would be better to farm fewer acres than farm all […] Read more
Merry Christmas, even from bears
Perhaps it’s just the Christmas spirit and the desire to not seem like Scrooge or the Grinch, but a bunch of commodity price forecasters have been saying cheery things about crop prices in the New Year. A string of smart guys have been trotting out their year-end projections (guesses?) for stocks and commodities recently in media […] Read more
How to price crop in volatile markets – market analysis
The past year has been one of incredible peaks in crop prices, then a terrible slump. It has been a year of volatility and there is no obvious direction forward. Some still expect the “long term commodity bull market” to recover and keep running. Others think it’s dead. Regardless of which view is correct, farmers […] Read more
Low tech manure management fights smell, more affordable
Hog producers who want to reduce odours from their barns and lagoons can borrow millions of dollars, build a biodigester and hope to find a use for the product. Or they can find low-tech additives that work within the manure to make it smell less and become better fertilizer. A company working with major livestock […] Read more
Oats at the bottom, analysts predict
Has the oat market finally bottomed? Two influential market analysts think it has. “I’m willing to call a bottom,” said Randy Strychar of Ag Commodity Research. “At least we’re very close to one. I’m more optimistic than I’ve been for the last three months.” Analyst David Drozd of Ag-Chieve has a similar view. “We’ve had […] Read more
