The 2012 canola crop is not just smaller than expected, it's also light on oil content. According to the Canadian Grain Commission, this year's crop is averaging a mean oil content of 43.5% (on a 8.5% moisture basis, No. 1 grade). That's down quite a bit from last year when it was 45.2%. The 10-year... Read More
Category: Western Canada
One of the most frequently asked questions I get concerns dormancy — what causes it and how it impacts crops destined for seed use. Dormancy in cereals is the most common of all, and it can be quite troublesome in certain years. This year, growing conditions have been excellent and very little dormancy has... Read More
After a very dry growing season, farmers in eastern Canada are hurting for hay. Western Canadian farmers know all to well what that's like, having experienced a similar situation in 2002. Farmers, private companies and governments have come together to form Hay East — a program to send much-needed forage from the west to the... Read More
13.4 million tonnes of canola is, historically, a big canola crop. For 2012, however, it's a total tonnage figure that disappointed many Western Canadian farmers. As we reported earlier this year, the swaths looked like a 35 bushel crop but yielded closer to 20. Many were shocked by the significantly lower Statistics Canada production number... Read More
A web-based crop protection selection tool, AgChemExpert, launched this week. AgChemExpert is a custom designed software program that helps farmers and agronomists alike understand what chemicals do what, how and when to use them and even what they are made up of, according to the company's release. Developed by agronomist Chris Hawkins, A-C-E is an... Read More
Maple Leaf Foods has announced it will buy the Puratone Corporation, the cash-strapped Manitoba hog production company, for approximately $42 million. The purchase includes Puratone's livestock, facilities and interests in some joint ventures. The transaction is expected to close within a month, subject to court and regulatory approvals, according to a news release. . "This... Read More
The markets are volatile and could be described liked standing inside a hurricane at times. Only this time the hurricane was real. With Hurricane Sandy ripping through the east coast, the impacts on beef demand must be questioned. With the XL Foods hangover working its way out, feed yards and ranchers are trying to get... Read More
Earlier this year the CWB (as it was still named) rolled out handling agreement announcements at Canada's Farm Progress Show at Regina, Sask. During and after the press conference, more than a few weighed in on what percentage of the grain handle the monopoly-less board could possibly attract. Some estimated as much as 30% to... Read More
We may live in the information age, but it seems it's easier to spread misinformation than it is to share facts. Never does this seem so apparent than when we ask urbanites about where they think food comes from and what's in it. Farmers Feed Cities recently released findings from a survey it had done... Read More
CWB has extended the deadline for farmers to sign up to the Harvest Pool from today to Friday, November 9. "CWB recognizes that farmers need time to adjust to new options and procedures in the first year of the open market for Prairie grain," president and CEO Ian White said in a company release. "Many... Read More