HAMBURG, Jan 18 (Reuters) – A meeting of agriculture ministers from 69 countries on Saturday called for higher farm productivity coupled with cultivation of diverse crop types to help beat world hunger. Global farming needs to maintain a balance between diversity and high output while avoiding monoculture of single crops, said a statement from Germany’s […] Read more
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Global farm ministers call for higher, diverse food production
USDA grain estimates should include survey on corn feed use-study
CHICAGO, Jan 17 (Reuters) – The U.S. Agriculture Department should develop a survey of corn feed use to make its benchmark monthly and quarterly grain estimates more accurate for the grain industry, according to a University of Illinois study of U.S. grain and soybean forecasts issued on Friday. Traders and analysts have been concerned in […] Read more
California governor declares drought emergency
SAN FRANCISCO, Jan 17 (Reuters) – California Governor Jerry Brown declared a drought emergency on Friday, a move that will allow the parched state to seek federal aid as it grapples with what could turn out to be the driest year in recorded state history for many areas. The dry year California experienced in 2013 […] Read more
Video: Weekly WP news & markets update
Crop Production Week and a new event, CropSphere, brought together most of the crop commodity groups in Saskatchewan and beyond for a week of meetings, seminars and one of the year’s largest winter farm trade shows in the region last week. The event drew thousands of producers to Saskatoon for five days last week, where […] Read more
Canola futures gain $1.30 over the week
March canola edged up Friday on short covering, allowing the contract to post a small weekly gain. U.S. corn and wheat markets were slightly lower today pressured by forecast for rain early next week in Argentina. The moisture should end the strain that this week’s heat has put on corn and soybean crops in Argentina. […] Read more
Pulse sector hopes to capitalize on year in spotlight
Pulse crops will soon be placed under the global spotlight. The General Assembly of the United Nations has voted to declare 2016 the International Year of Pulses. “This is an extraordinary opportunity for the global pulse industry,” Pulse Canada chief executive officer Gordon Bacon said in a release. “Having a UN dedicated year will raise […] Read more
Slow grain movement continues to vex farmers
Last fall’s record-breaking crop continues to cause transportation headaches for western Canadian farmers. Mark Dyck, director of logistics with CWB, said as much as seven million tonnes of wheat and durum produced in Western Canada will not make it to market this year because of supply chain constraints. “Basically, we think that carry-out on all […] Read more
Think long-term on land prices
Determining land values | Prices should not be based on recent high profits
St. JEAN BAPTISTE, Man. — The difference between last year’s and this year’s crop prices reveals the danger of basing land prices on short-term returns, says a Manitoba Agriculture farm profitability expert. As well, he said if farmers don’t adopt a longer-term view, they’ll be vulnerable to repeated errors in making farmland purchase decisions. “Last […] Read more
Micro-organisms key ingredient in healthy soil
Biological activity | Bacteria produce mucus that glues particles together
MINOT, N.D. — Speakers usually grab their audience’s attention by telling a joke, but soil scientist Jon Stika likes to open his speeches with a lump of dirt. Stika began his presentation at the Manitoba-North Dakota Zero Tillage Farmers Association annual conference by holding up two soil aggregates, both about the size of a tennis […] Read more
Now: Biodiesel industry gets boost with new western expansion; Then: Canola oil tried in diesel engines
Will Canada develop canola biodiesel? A federal mandate in 2011 required two percent of all fuel sold to contain renewable fuels. What is in store for the biofuel industry and what impact will it have on agriculture? | by SEAN PRATT, SAskatoon newsroom
NOW: EDMONTON (Staff) —The main obstacle to the widespread use of vegetable oils as a motor fuel is the cost, the Canadian Society of Agricultural Engineers has been told. A scientific paper presented at the society’s annual meeting here detailed experiments done with canola oil. Three researchers, R.C. Strayer and R. G. Chopiuk of the […] Read more
