The Good: The corn market dropped by 17 cents per bushel today as the weather in the Corn Belt was favorable during the long weekend. Market participants had moved to the sidelines last week before the July 4 holiday in the U.S. Rains over the weekend covered most of the northern Corn Belt region, while southern […] Read more
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VIDEO: Pulse, special crops conference dodges roadblocks
It hasn’t officially started, but the Canadian Pulse and Special Crops Trade Association annual conference has already survived more drama than most commodity industries have seen in ages. Just last week it looked likely that the conference would either be crippled or its attendees stranded by a labour breakdown at Air Canada, but just a […] Read more
VIDEO: Ed meets combine
LANGHAM, Sask. ‑ I don’t know anything about combines. I’m not a machinery guy. But I thought that might be a good way to have a bit of fun with the launch of a brand new combine – the Claas Lexion 8900 – which is on display at Ag in Motion. In this video Rick […] Read more
BBQ pain for we beer and burger boys
Here's where inflation gets real
Here’s where inflation gets real: When millions of Americans get together for backyard barbecues on July 4, the average host is going to be shelling out US$99 for ingredients, including beer and burgers. In 2018 the same stuff only cost $73, according to Rabobank, the global agricultural lender. The average guy or gal now has […] Read more
Are we planning to build a Winnipeg centre of Ag excellence, or a tower of Babel?
I visited the CBC HQ in Toronto a few times. There, within this 13-storey magnificence of white, red and glass, and under the gaze of an enormous portrait of Barbara Frum, I would wonder why all this money had been spent on erecting such a structure that would obviously turn CBC inward. It seemed an […] Read more
Issues loom over hog farmers as they gather in Des Moines
North America’s hog industry is grappling with multiple issues these days, but is presently feeling better than some of the other livestock industries. That doesn’t mean that everything’s great, but not yet having to deal with avian flu infections is keeping hog farmers in a cautiously optimistic mood about their challenges. More World Pork Expo […] Read more
VIDEO: New chief commissioner brings ‘solid understanding’ of the issues facing grain industry
David Hunt, the new Chief Commissioner of the Canadian Grain Commission, is well known and respected in Manitoba agricultural circles, where he has worked in both the private sector and with Manitoba Agriculture for many years. He’s less well-known west of the Manitoba-Saskatchewan border, so I popped by the CGC’s headquarters today to do an […] Read more
VIDEO: Cutting edge livestock feed research
Emily Burton of Nottingham Trent University in the UK discussed “responsible innovation” in an era in which nutritionists are facing expectations that their work can lead to major improvements in greenhouse gas and other emissions from livestock. “The pressure on us . . . is enormous,” she said. Burton urged fellow nutritionists to engage with […] Read more
VIDEO: Updates from Canadian Crops Convention
Despite continuing problems with weather across much of Western Canada, the country managed to produce an 18 million tonne crop in 2023, something which would have been unimaginable 20 years ago, when the goal was to get up to seven million tonnes per year. Canola Council of Canada President Chris Davison highlighted the growing balance […] Read more
Combine to Customer at Cereals Canada
For the next couple of days I’m following along a group of farmers as they take part in the Combine to Customer program. I’m going to update this post throughout, so check back here to see what’s new. Don’t tell me the industrial tooling of pasta-making isn’t beautiful. (But don’t drop these heavy brass molds […] Read more
