What a difference nine months make
: The Canadian Drought Monitor map for the Prairies for June 30 is mostly white with spots of yellow. That suggests the pervasive drought is over in Manitoba, much of Saskatchewan and parts of Alberta. The map represents a massive change in conditions from last fall, when the entire agricultural region of the Prairies was in a moderate to exceptional drought.

Numbers confirm June colder, wetter than average

The number of days in June when daytime highs made it past 30 C show the unseasonal weather. Using only the main reporting stations from each province, Winnipeg was the only location to record a day above 30 C, when the daytime high hit 30.4 C on June 24. The warmest days in all other […] Read more

Canfax Report

Fed price declines From highs in early June, fed cattle prices have dropped $8.50 per hundredweight. For most of this year, fed cattle prices followed a similar trend to last year. Last week, dressed sales were reported from $428-$429 per hundredweight delivered. There has been a significant basis shift over the past month. In early […] Read more

Russia exported about three million tonnes of peas in 2023-24, with China and India as priority markets for the country in the coming year. | File photo

Russia now sells more peas to China than Canada

Canada used to have a 95 to 97 per cent market share but that has dropped to 44. 6 per cent SASKATOON — Russia has officially displaced Canada as the top exporter of peas to China.Russia’s Union of Grain Exporters said the country shipped 1.13 million tonnes of the crop to that market in 2023-24, […] Read more


Soil scientist wins award

Ag Notes Jeff Schoenau, a University of Saskatchewan professor and Ministry of Agriculture Strategic Research Program Chair in Soil Nutrient Management, is the first recipient of the Les Henry Award. Henry, a Saskatchewan soil scientist in and professor emeritus at the U of who died earlier this summer, selected Schoenau in April. The award recognizes […] Read more

Wheat midge adults are tiny orange-coloured flying insects that are
typically observed at dusk under calm conditions. | FILE PHOTO

Ample precipitation sets stage for wheat midge

Conditions favourable to wheat midge development should prompt farmers to closely monitor their fields

Plentiful precipitation over much of the Prairies has created near-perfect conditions for wheat midge, which may emerge later this month and into July. Wheat midges overwinter in the soil as fairly mature larvae and emerge as adults when the crop is heading, said John Gavloski, an entomologist with Manitoba Agriculture. “Now, if you have your […] Read more


La Niña is expected to have little impact on this summer's precipitation but look for heavy snows and cold this coming winter.  |  File photo

La Niña expected to return

SASKATOON — Well, that was quick.Climatologists are already waving goodbye to El Niño and hello to yet another possible La Niña event.The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says ENSO-neutral conditions are now present, a phenomenon known in meteorological circles as La Nada.That is a period when world weather patterns are not influenced by either […] Read more

Markets for oilseeds such as Canadian canola are expected to shift from China in favour of customers in India and southeast Asia.  |  File photo

China displaced as agricultural market driver

China accounted for 28 per cent of global food consumption growth in the last decade, but that could fall to 11 percent SASKATOON — India, Southeast Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa are displacing China as drivers of agricultural markets, according to a new report.The paper, jointly released by the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) […] Read more

High prices could be making canary seed buyers reluctant to purchase say analysts.  |  File photo

Buyers wait out canaryseed growers

Traders think prices will need to fall some more before customers are comfortable enough to get back into the market SASKATOON — Traders think canaryseed prices are still too high.“We need a bit lower prices, I believe, for buyers to be comfortable risking their capital,” said David Nobbs, a trader with Purely Canada Foods.Rayglen Commodities […] Read more


Saskatchewan's moratorium on new wild boar farms are part of the province's strategy to help deal with the potential risk of boars escaping and becoming feral. | File photo

Sask. to restrict wild boar farms

REGINA — Saskatchewan has placed a moratorium on new wild boar farms, effective Jan. 1, 2025. It also requires all existing wild boar operations to be licensed and inspected by that time. The move comes after the regulations developed under the New Animal Control Act take effect. The government had announced two years ago that […] Read more