Canada’s canola exports are forecast to decline due to rising domestic crush. | File photo

Canada’s crush boom to benefit Aussie canola

A significant increase in domestic crush capacity is expected to lower exports and reduce competition for Australia

SASKATOON — The future looks bright for Australia’s canola sector, according to a leading agricultural bank. Commonwealth Bank of Australia is forecasting reduced competition from its main competitor and continued strong demand from its top export market. Related stories: Canada’s exports are forecast to decline due to rising domestic crush. Canada has 14 crush facilities […] Read more

Australian wheat production is expected to be 25.8 million tonnes for the 2024-25 marketing year, slightly below the 26 million produced the previous year and three per cent lower than the 10-year average. | Reuters/ Jonathan Barrett photo

Australian cereals production expected to fall

Lack of rain in the states of Western Australia and South Australia may see harvests fall below the 10-year average

Glacier FarmMedia – WINNIPEG — Dry conditions in Western and South Australia may cause declines in the upcoming Australian wheat and barley crops, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s attaché in Canberra. In a USDA Global Agricultural Information Network report released April 29, the attaché forecasted wheat production at 25.8 million tonnes for the […] Read more

Australia is a major supplier of goods from wheat and barley to cotton and wine. | Reuters photo

Chemical delays aggravate Aussie farmers

CANBERRA (Reuters) — Australia’s farm chemicals regulator is taking too long to approve new products, leading to billions of dollars in preventable crop losses for one of the world’s biggest agricultural exporters, industry groups say. Australia is a major supplier of goods from wheat and barley to cotton and wine. Approvals of as many as […] Read more


Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) is forecasting 8.27 million acres of canola, a four percent drop from last year. But it is dry in Western Australia and if it remains that way over the next month canola area could see "considerable" further declines, according to a recent report by the bank. | Getty Images

Canola competition stiffens; demand rises

SASKATOON — There are differing reports about what to expect from Canada’s top canola competitor this year. Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) is forecasting 8.27 million acres of the oilseed, a four per cent drop from last year. Related stories: However, it is dry in Western Australia, and if it remains that way over the […] Read more

Due to predictions of a smaller chickpea crop, the Indian government dropped the import restrictions on peas through March 31, 2024. | Reuters photo

Will India open a second window for duty-free pea imports?

SASKATOON — The Indian government might have to consider opening a second window for duty-free yellow pea imports, according to a senior industry official from that country. “Maybe in the back end of the season,” Manek Gupta, managing director of Viterra India PVT Ltd., said during a recent webinar hosted by the India Pulses and […] Read more


Ripe wheat.

Return of El Nino does not bode well for Australian farmers

The transition from La Nina to El Nino and a shift to a positive Indian Ocean Dipole could mean much less rain Down Under

“El Nino typically suppresses rainfall in eastern Australia during the winter and spring months,” said the Australian Bureau of Meteorology in an April 11 Climate Driver Update.


A crop of barley shot from crop height with blue sky and a few clouds visible in the background.

China, Australia reach agreement over barley exports

Canada had benefitted from tariffs on Australian barley, but new deal is expected to significantly slow Chinese demand

An agreement between China and Australia to resolve a three-year-old barley dispute has serious ramifications for Canadian growers, says an industry executive. “It is definitely going to have an impact on demand from China for Canadian malting barley and feed barley going forward, there’s no question,” said Peter Watts, managing director of the Canadian Malting […] Read more

Rabobank is forecasting a whopping 21 percent increase in Australian canola planting to a record 8.97 million acres of the oilseed, according to the bank’s 2022-23 winter crop outlook. | Getty Images

Australia canola crop could be huge

Canadian canola growers will likely be facing stiff competition from their Australian counterparts this year. Rabobank is forecasting a 21 percent increase in Australian canola planting to a record 8.97 million acres of the oilseed, according to the bank’s 2022-23 winter crop outlook. That is due to the confluence of great prices and seeding conditions […] Read more


Heavy harvest rain is causing extensive quality damage to Australia's crop in northern and central New South Wales and Queensland, said MarketsFarm analyst Bruce Burnett. | File photo

Troubled Aussie wheat creates new wrinkle

The supposed saviour of the wheat market is in trouble. Heavy harvest rain is causing extensive quality damage to Australia’s crop in northern and central New South Wales and Queensland, said MarketsFarm analyst Bruce Burnett. “It is not a good situation there,” he told participants attending a recent webinar. The re-emergence of La Nina is […] Read more

The USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) is forecasting 3.9 million tonnes of production, slightly below last year’s bumper crop of four million tonnes. | Flickr/Ed Dunens photo

Canola crop recovery continues in Australia

Australia is going to harvest another large canola crop in 2021-22, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It believes the recovery that started in 2020-21 will continue in the upcoming crop year. Planted area is forecast to increase by 15 percent to 6.7 million acres, according to a recent report by the USDA’s Foreign […] Read more