Switching between corn varieties on-the-go while planting is showing a yield benefit, according to Kinze, as the Iowa-based equipment manufacturer ramps up production of its multi-hybrid planters. The last time we heard from Kinze’s Luc Van Herle on Real Ag, the company was rolling out its new electronic metering system for its 4,900 series multi-hybrid... Read More

Grain prices started the month of October the same way they've been trending for the last five months: lower. Last week saw two important reports from the USDA and Statistics Canada, recording grain inventories and '14 production estimates respectively. With some of the earliest-planted fields of corn and soybeans coming off in the American Midwest,... Read More

With three new cases in Manitoba over a two-week period in late September, there's renewed concern about the spread of porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED) virus. "We've been pushing it pretty hard that fall will be a tough season. We were expecting to have until November, but September was cool and wet, and those are the... Read More

While corn, soybean and wheat markets are under pressure from heavy supplies, the outlook for the canola market is relatively tight. Canadian canola production for 2014 was pegged at 14.1 million metric tonnes in the Statistics Canada crop production report published Friday morning — a slight increase from the agency's August estimates, but below the... Read More

It's estimated 70 to 80 percent of the barley grown in Western Canada was affected by heavy rains and snow in early-to-mid September. Factor in the 31 percent decrease in overall barley production estimated by Statistics Canada in its report out Friday morning, and the math is simple; barley that qualifies for malt will be... Read More

With so much change and uncertainty surrounding us, the saying (curse?) “may you live in interesting times” is certainly appropriate this year among farmers. I’m hoping farmers are front and centre in everyone’s thoughts as Thanksgiving approaches and their efforts to feed us are remembered, particularly in a year in which they’ve had more than... Read More