Shipping your own railcar can have numerous benefits, not the least of which is selling grain at a higher price than local elevators are willing to offer. At the same time there’s also a fair amount of risk in counting on producer cars to market grain — just ask one of the farmers who are… Read More
Category: Western Canada
Corn and wheat futures moved higher, while soybean values dropped following the release of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s November crop production and supply/demand estimates on Monday morning. The numbers were not as bearish as many traders and analysts were expecting, says Mike Krueger, president of The Money Farm, in the interview above. “People thought… Read More
If your name is Kelly Daynard, you’ve likely been very, very busy over the last few months. That’s because Farm & Food Care Ontario, the organization Daynard is communications manager for, is rolling out several huge projects right now, while simultaneously supporting other provincial chapters of the organization to get off the ground. From the… Read More
How long can this lofty cattle market stick around? Have lower feed costs already been plugged in to cattle market prices? Will heavier-than-ideal carcass weights cause headaches through the value chain? Real Agriculture’s Shaun Haney and Anne Wasko, of Gateway Livestock Exchange, tackle those questions and whole lot more in this edition of the Beef… Read More
Honey Bee’s new AirFlex draper header created quite the buzz at Agri-Trade ’14 last week. The header can be used in flex or rigid mode, with the transition between them requiring the push of a button and only a few minutes worth of patience. In flex mode, the cutterbar shaves the ground with 9″ worth of flex,… Read More
Almost four years after ordering them, CWB has taken delivery of the first of two ships for moving grain from Thunder Bay across the Great Lakes. CWB Marquis, an Equinox class laker, is currently crossing the Pacific Ocean from China, and is expected to reach the St. Lawrence Seaway via the Panama Canal by the end… Read More
Want to know what buyers look for in a soybean sample? Or what you don’t want to see in your soybeans? This episode of the Soybean School takes us to the Canadian Grain Commission grading lab in Winnipeg. Thanks to Daryl Beswitherick, program manager for quality assurance and re-inspection at the CGC, for taking some time… Read More
The grain and oilseed market started the month of November the opposite of how it ended October, as the market dropped lower on the U.S. harvest catching up to its historical average pace and a stronger U.S. dollar (which can help Canadian exports, hence basis in Western Canada narrowing recently). Lack of consistent rail service… Read More
We know fish oil, healthy canola oil and barley are good for heart health, but imagine them all packaged together in a cholesterol-fighting cookie that actually tastes good. This bioactive dessert is one example of the food products being developed at the Richardson Centre for Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals in Winnipeg. Dr. Nancy Ames used the… Read More
Merck Animal Health has announced “significant progress” in the implementation of its Zilmax Five-Step Plan (follow that link for details). With insights from the company’s advisory board, an extensive assessment and analysis of existing, as well as new product data, was conducted, Merck says. Merck had suspended sales of Zilmax in August of 2013 following… Read More
Saskatchewan’s Ministry of Agriculture has released a report outlining the quality profile of this year’s crop. Only nine percent of the province’s spring wheat crop is projected to be graded number 1 — well below the 10 year average of 39 percent. For winter wheat, only three percent is expected to grade as number 1, compared… Read More
Planting delays in Brazil due to dry conditions have provided some support to global oilseed markets over the last month or so, but it’s too early to be concerned about dryness. That’s according to Pedro Dejneka, managing partner with AGR Brasil — a unit of AgResource Company, who shared the South American market outlook at the Cereals… Read More
With harvest all but done in Western Canada and producers finally getting into corn in the East, farm show and meeting season has arrived. Several Real Ag team members are attending Agri-Trade in Red Deer this week, as Kelvin Heppner touches base with Shaun Haney at Westerner Park on this week’s ag news podcast. Kelvin also has more from the… Read More
If you’re considering growing barley for the malt market in 2015, the Canadian Malting Barley Technical Centre has just released its list of recommended varieties for the 2015-16 crop year. The list (find it here) is compiled by the CMBTC’s members with input from grain companies, maltsters and brewers. CDC Copeland and AC Metcalfe are… Read More
Transport Canada has announced a pair of exemptions that should make it easier for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to be used for commercial purposes. There’s been growing excitement about using UAVs in agriculture, but until now, a Special Flight Operations Certificate (SFOC) from Transport Canada has been required for non-recreational flights. To accommodate commercial opportunities, Ottawa… Read More