Heat wave boosts Alberta irrigated crops
Corn loves heat. Sugar beets like heat. And potatoes are OK with it too, so long as the sprinklers keep running. That means a recent spate of hot weather in southern Alberta has been a boon for irrigated row crops, which are in good condition and in better shape than this time last year. “If […] Read moreNews
Canola rises slightly in volatile trading day
Canola futures prices reluctantly followed soybeans higher Thursday as a crazy day of trading rocked other crops yet again. November canola rose $4.20 to $636.70 ($14.44 per bushel) and January rose $4.10 to $639.70. The U.S. Midwest drought has unleashed a torrent of greed and fear in the crop markets and they are being buffeted […] Read more
Resistant blackleg strain found in Manitoba canola fields
What is likely a resistant variety of blackleg has destroyed 40 percent of a couple of canola fields in Manitoba. Earlier this month, Manitoba Agriculture staff detected blackleg on the stems of canola plants on two fields. However, oilseed and plant disease specialists with the government aren’t disclosing the location of the fields or the […] Read more
Manitoba farm group joins N.D. fertilizer plant project
Keystone Agricultural Producers has decided to support a $1 billion farmer-owned fertilizer plant in North Dakota. KAP announced yesterday it will have a seat on the board of directors for a proposed nitrogen fertilizer plant that plans to use flare gas from the Bakken oil deposit in North Dakota. “Manitoba farmers are supporting this world-class […] Read more
Sask. ag minister new president of Pacific NorthWest Economic Region
Saskatchewan agriculture minister Lyle Stewart was named president of the Pacific NorthWest Economic Region’s executive committee yesterday. He is the first Saskatchewan official to head the organization since the province joined PNWER in 2008. PNWER members consist of public and private sector officials representing Alberta, British Columbia, Saskatchewan, the Yukon and Northwest Territories and five […] Read more
Project creates value from hemp and flax byproducts
Farmers who grow flax and hemp could soon benefit from a big increase in value per acre. Thanks in part to new technology that was once essentially deemed waste material, farmers have a new revenue stream. Advanced Foods and Materials Canada is receiving an investment of $500,000 from the federal government to turn byproducts of […] Read more
Situation in the Midwest captured by Mike Raine
Our farm production editor Mike Raine is down in the U.S. Midwest documenting the drought situation. Mike, as many of you know, is also one of the top photographers in the North American agricultural press, and these pix below are both a tragic tale of ruined crops, and beautiful visual images. […] Read more
Living in historical times, and maybe for once being on the right side of them
Wow! Getting up this morning I immediately checked the prices on the CBOT and there they were: $8 nearby corn and $17.18 soybeans. Big inverses as commercial buyers scramble to buy up the little crop left out there. Incredible prices, setting historical records, lifting all of our boats.Wished I’d stayed up to see these record […] Read more
Canola stumbles as soy, corn rises
Canola futures didn’t share the general crop market rally Wednesday, on a day when soybeans and corn began ascending the heights again. However, soyoil in Chicago fell slightly as well, underlining a temporarily sated feeling in the vegetable oil markets. Canola fell 80 cents per tonne on the November futures contract to $652.50 per tonne, […] Read more
Results from world Hereford shows
OLDS, Alta. — Purebred cattle enthusiasts from around the world gathered earlier this week in central Alberta for the world Hereford conference. Two days of shows for junior members and an open show were held July 16-17. The winners were: Junior Bonanza Show: Grand champion bull: Emily Latimer, Olds, Alta. Grand champion female: Cayley Brown, […] Read more
