The Canadian Grain Commission is seeking the authority to start tracking containerized shipments of grains, oilseeds and pulses. It is one of the changes outlined in Bill C-48, the Modernization of Canada’s Grain Industry Act. “There is increasing pressure for transparency in statistics of grain volumes and grain handling in Canada for exports,” chief commissioner […] Read more
Sean Pratt
Stories by Sean Pratt
Research targets pulses as pet food
The Canada Foundation for Innovation is investing $844,000 in the University of Saskatchewan for a variety of environmental, energy and health related projects. It is part of a national announcement involving $35 million for 37 universities across Canada. The $844,000 will fund four projects, one of which is agriculture related. Lynn Weber and Jaswant Sing […] Read more
Corn-oil price link weaker but not gone
Analyst says corn prices could fall when ethanol-gas relationship normalizes
The link between crude oil and grain prices is broken, say analysts. Corn moved in lockstep with crude from 2008-10, when the U.S. ethanol industry was expanding and biofuel use mandates in the U.S. and elsewhere were rising. However, that is no longer the case now that no new plants are being built and mandates […] Read more
Canola industry in fight against bad information
Misinformation abounds about the healthfulness of canola oil
A recent email to The Western Producer warned that vegetable oil does far more harm to human health than good and that canola oil was the worst offender. It said the “GMO oil” has been linked to muscular disorders and fatty degeneration of the heart, kidneys, adrenal and thyroid glands. The email contained no research […] Read more
Big stocks offset acreage cut
American winter wheat acres down five percent, but exports sluggish
U.S. farmers planted less winter wheat than expected, but it didn’t lift wheat futures. Producers seeded 40.45 million acres of the crop, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture survey of more than 83,000 farmers in December. It is well below the average trade estimate of 42.57 million acres and last year’s crop of 42.4 […] Read moreMonsanto data questions corn area assumption
There is considerable uncertainty about how much corn is going in the ground in South America. One of the world’s largest seed companies thinks the region’s corn acreage is going to be much smaller than the U.S. Department of Agriculture and some analysts are anticipating. “In Latin America, the corn acres were softer in (quarter) […] Read more
Camelina gains approval for chicken feed
Camelina meal has been approved in Canada for use in broiler chicken feed, paving the way for development of a processing plant in Sask-atchewan. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has approved feeding cold-pressed, non-solvent extracted camelina meal to chickens at up to 12 percent inclusion. “It’s a huge step forward for the crop,” said Jack […] Read more
U.S. winter wheat acres down five percent, but exports sluggish
U.S. farmers planted less winter wheat than expected, but it didn’t lift wheat futures. Producers seeded 40.45 million acres of the crop, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture survey of more than 83,000 farmers in December. The report was released Jan. 12. It is well below the average trade estimate of 42.57 million acres […] Read more
Feed approval could lead to crush plant for camelina
Camelina meal has been approved in Canada for use in broiler chicken feed, paving the way for development of a processing plant in Saskatchewan. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has approved feeding cold-pressed, non-solvent extracted camelina meal to chickens at up to 12 percent inclusion. “It’s a huge step forward for the crop,” said Jack […] Read more
South American corn crop to be smaller than expected: Monsanto
One of the world’s largest seed companies thinks South America’s corn crop is going to be much smaller than the U.S. Department of Agriculture and some analysts are anticipating. “In Latin America, the corn acres were softer in (quarter) one than we originally anticipated with Argentina down an estimated 20 percent compared to last year […] Read more
