StatsCan released the November 2011 Production report for field crops this morning. Jon Driedger from FarmLink told me over the phone that, "the numbers are as expected, this is diplayed in the fact that the market is flat today." SEE THE REPORT When I look at the report several things stick out for me. Corn... Read More
Category: Crop Production
With the release of the Ontario 2011 hybrid corn performance trials, growers get a chance to review how last years varieties performed and what might be a good idea to plant in 2012. As always there are many options and getting as much information as possible can help narrow down some of these tough decisions.... Read More
The clubroot problem is growing, and it's not a matter that can be avoided any more. So what has the canola industry at large learned from clubroot? I discussed the clubroot issue with Clint Jurke of the Canola Council of Canada and found a number of things that we've learned from the experience. First, we... Read More
A couple weeks ago at the Canadian Seed Trade Association meeting in Toronto, the seed industry released a video that demonstrates the challenges ahead for agriculture. You may know the issue as the "feeding the world" challenge. The video demonstrates the realities but at the same time lays the groundwork for the role of the... Read More
Another year gone and another harvest in the books for farmers in the West. This year had its share of difficulties, with wet conditions delaying and in some cases completely destroying efforts to get a crop in in some areas. For those farmers that did get a crop in, the threat of disease loomed heavy... Read More
The area of biofuels is growing every year. The list includes everything from algae to canola to switchgrass to corn. The main problem with most of the list is the difficulty in mass producing those sources or the ethical dilemma created with the food vs fuel debate. Carinata holds the advantage over many of the... Read More
The CWBs latest attempt to rally support and gain a hearing is an ad campaign designed under the name "stop the steamroller". The print, radio and video campaign focuses on a steamroller with the caption " This is how the Harper government harvests Canadian wheat". The ads, paid for by CWB pool funds, were... Read More
Earlier this week we spoke to Federal Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz about why he thinks the elimination of the single desk will be beneficial to farmers and why he is so passionate about that position. Not everyone shares the exuberance Minister Ritz has over the new marketing landscape for wheat in Western Canada. One of... Read More
Are you having trouble looking down the line at the canola markets? You're not alone. There are a number of sources sending mixed signals to producers. On one hand when we look at the charts, we see that the January-March futures indicate a strong sell (according to Barchart). On the other hand we see fundamentals... Read More
Yesterday I attended a Calgary Chamber of Commerce luncheon. This was not just any ordinary lunch because it was attended by the Calgary ag-business community and they were all there to listen to the Federal Minister of Agriculture, Gerry Ritz. Mr. Ritz spoke to the group about why he feels so strongly regarding the coming... Read More