Thousands of Winnipeggers and non-farming Manitobans will leave their homes intent on seeing and smelling where their food comes from this weekend. For the last five years, the Manitoba government has organized and promoted an annual “Open Farm Day,” which will be held on Sunday (a similar event will also be held this weekend in Nova… Read More
Author: Kelvin Heppner
Kelvin Heppner, field editor for RealAgriculture, has been reporting on Canadian agriculture since 2008(ish). When he's not working on a story, he's usually in a chicken barn or a field, as he also farms with his family near Altona, Manitoba.
A coalition of North American meat and livestock organizations is keeping its legal options open as it attempts to have U.S. country of origin labeling (COOL) rules repealed. According to the industry, COOL is costing Canadian cattle and hog producers around a billion dollars per year. On Friday, a group that includes the Canadian Cattlemen’s… Read More
With no major production challenges anywhere in the world, grain and oilseed prices have fallen to levels we haven’t seen since 2010. So how low can they go? That’s the question Frayne Olson, crops economist and marketing specialist at North Dakota State University, tries to answer in the interview below. Looking at historical charts for… Read More
Keeping with the bearish trend in the grain markets, the USDA reported higher than expected corn and soybean yields and production in its monthly supply/demand report released on Thursday morning. The average U.S. corn yield was pegged at a record 171.7 bushels per acre, with total production of 14.4 billion bushels. For soybeans, the average yield for… Read More
The possible arrival of the first widespread killing frost in Western Canada this week has implications for livestock producers looking to maximize feed quality for their animals. Freezing temperatures can cause nitrates to accumulate in cereal species grown for greenfeed, which can be toxic to cattle (more info here on the SaskAg website.) However, management… Read More
A Manitoba farm group is concerned harvested grain could spoil due to rules preventing producers from using new grain dryers until they have been inspected. Wet weather over the last few weeks has forced farmers across much of Western Canada to harvest their crops at moisture levels that are higher than ideal for storage. As a… Read More
While the majority of the Western Canadian crop is no longer vulnerable to frost, there are still areas where wheat and canola, as well as longer-season soybeans and corn, are not ready for the freezing temperatures that are expected over the next few nights. According to Bruce Burnett, weather and crop specialist with CWB, between five and 10 percent… Read More
Challenges with getting this year’s canola crop off the field are shortening the window for seeding winter wheat. While canola stubble is the preferred seed bed for winter wheat, a delayed growing season and untimely rains over the last few weeks have resulted in canola harvest running later than normal in much of Western Canada…. Read More
It’s not something that’s been said often in the last decade, but now is a great time to be in the cow-calf business, as cattle producers are seeing all-time record high prices. “We’re running about 60 cents to a dollar a pound higher than we were last year at this time,” says Rick Wright, the… Read More
There’s less canola and wheat left from last year’s bumper crop than traders and analysts thought, according to the Statistics Canada stocks report released on Friday morning. Wheat stocks as of July 31st were pegged at 9.8 million metric tonnes, up 94 percent from the same time last year, but generally below expectations. Canola supplies… Read More
The grain company evolving from the former Canadian Wheat Board has announced construction of its third new elevator in Western Canada. CWB says it’s beginning construction on a 42 thousand metric tonne elevator at Pasqua, Saskatchewan — approximately 10 kilometres east of Moose Jaw on Highway 39. The facility will be adjacent to the CP… Read More
While oat supplies will be tighter than normal this year, problems getting the crop to market continue to put downward pressure on cash bids in Western Canada. “Oats is going to remain a tight supply, tight shipping market,” says Lorne Boundy, a Winnipeg-based oat merchandiser with Paterson Grain, in the following interview. The federal government’s… Read More
Hog prices have dropped sharply since hitting record highs in the middle of July. It turns out PED (porcine epidemic diarrhea) virus took a smaller toll on U.S. hog supplies than was expected, explains Tyler Fulton, director of risk management for Manitoba-based Hams Marketing Services, in the interview below. Fulton says traders were expecting an 8-10… Read More
With the canola crop maturing later than normal in parts of Western Canada, there’s some concern about frost hurting the crop. Temperatures dipped close to freezing in some parts of the Prairies earlier this week, with reports of light frost in northern Alberta. In this Canola School, Warren Ward, agronomy specialist for Eastern Saskatchewan with… Read More
High disease levels have winter wheat growers in Western Canada concerned about the market prospects for the crop. Samples brought to elevators in some areas — especially central Manitoba — have contained up to 20 percent fusarium damaged kernels. Buyers have started discounting grain based on the related potential vomitoxin levels. So where will this… Read More