Since Aug. 1, farmers have been able to lock in delivery periods for Canada Western Red Spring Wheat grades through an expanded Delivery Exchange Contracts program. The Canadian Wheat Board is allowing farmers to sign up amounts of No. 1, 2, 3 or 4 CWRS for specific delivery periods. Farmers can either hang onto those […] Read more
Ed White
Stories by Ed White
High grain prices haunt buyers
There would be an easy way to make Ana Olga Gerente Rodriguez happier about Canadian durum. “Lower the prices, lower the prices,” she said, laughing, when asked about how to improve Canadian grain. Interviews with Rodriguez, a Colombian durum miller and pasta maker, and Guillermo Francos, a Mexican brewer, showed that some buyers of Canadian […] Read more
Organic research needs money
GLENLEA, Man. – Organic researchers practise what promoters preach: they use extremely low inputs. Unfortunately, that also applies to putting little money into research, which is needed for better crop varieties. “We haven’t had anyone banging the doors down to do organic wheat breeding,” said Agriculture Canada wheat breeder Stephen Fox, who is trying to […] Read more
Organic rotation finishes first
GLENLEA, Man. – Organic farmers don’t consider themselves to be part of a flaky, feel-good movement. For them, organic farming is an alternative form of agriculture that needs to be done efficiently, professionally and for a profit. “I’m with the real world,” said Gilles Cop of Redvers, Sask., during a recent tour of the University […] Read more
Blade roller lays down cover crop without tillage
GLENLEA, Man. – Lust was in the eyes of organic farmers as they witnessed a sexy piece of machinery lay down a cover crop in a uniform blanket. “I could do with having that,” said one farmer in a group of producers, researchers and university agriculture students who recently toured the University of Manitoba’s Glenlea […] Read more
Hog industry study says it’s cheaper in the West
To a western Canadian farmer, eastern Canadian farmers can appear to be drowning in an ocean of onerous regulations. But prairie farmers are beginning to face a rising tide of restrictions when setting up new hog barns. Already the regulatory waters have poured into the centre of the country, with Manitoba hog producers facing a […] Read more
Foodgrains bank gains members
The Canadian Foodgrains Bank’s postage bill just got bigger. “We used to send stuff to 10,000 to 12,000 churches,” said Heather Plett of the charitable organization. “Now we’re up to 17,000 churches. It’s a pretty huge jump.” The bank won’t be complaining about the extra cost of stamps. Each of those thousands of new Anglican […] Read more
Momentum indicators provide market insight – Hedge Row
Technical analysis terms can seem weird and silly – until they explain why you lost a bunch of money. Then they assume more relevance. That’s the situation that confronted producers on June 19, when crop prices plunged after days of warnings from several sources about the market being overbought. “Black Tuesday on Fund Selling, Rain, […] Read more
WCE finds new suitor
Like its mainstay canola contract, the Winnipeg Commodity Exchange’s price has leapt upward. An unnamed company has offered $50 million for the WCE, which is 25 percent more than the $40 million deal announced recently with the Intercontinental Exchange (ICE). If WCE rejects the ICE bid, it will have to pay a $1.2 million fee. […] Read more
Rejected malting barley has another opportunity
Farmers whose 2006-07 selected malting barley is rejected for low germination after the end of the crop year can still sign it up for the feed barley 100 percent Early Payment Option until Aug. 31, 2007. The EPO deadline is usually July 31. The Canadian Wheat Board said it is extending the deadline to help […] Read more
