The first few weeks’ of crop growth are critical for two things — one, evaluating your seeding or planting pass; and, two, providing timely protection for the crop at its most vulnerable stage. In this special version of the Agronomy Geeks podcast, I’m joined by Brunel Sabourin, agronomic advisor with Cargill based at Morris, Man…. Read More
Chipotle Mexican Grill — you know them from such controversial advertisements as: “The Scarecrow” and “Farmed and Dangerous” — has been urging American farmers to supply more beef that meets their standards. In fact, similar to A&W in Canada (check out Andrew Campbell’s opinion piece on that decision), Chipotle has decided to cross the globe for beef. “The… Read More
In a perfect world, the soybean plant would pop up out of the ground, grow some leaves and then really stretch a bit before setting where that first pod will form. The reality for many western Canadian farmers, however, is that even in a decent year, our Prairie springs are quite cool — first pod… Read More
Grain markets this week were up and down with the close of one month, the transition to a new front-month contract, and trade limits changing on the exchanges. Also affecting things were the U.S. Wheat Quality Council’s winter wheat crop tour in Kansas and some violent weather in the Delta. All in all, if there’s… Read More
The devil is in the details of a new two-year pilot program in Ontario designed to bring local food and wine together in farmers’ markets. But if the agri-food sector has enough patience to see it through, I believe everyone involved – farmers, wineries and consumers – can come out on top. Starting tomorrow, Ontario’s… Read More
By Terry Betker This is a fantastic time to be entering (or be in) the business world, because business is going to change more in the next 10 years than the last 50. We always overestimate the change that will occur in the next two years and underestimate the change that will occur in the… Read More
“You shouldn’t plant until your soil is fit.” It’s a great quote, but what does “fit” soil look like? Well, it’s not just what it looks like, soil fit for planting corn also needs to be warm, though we use the term loosely here in Western Canada. The fact is, regardless of how dry or… Read More
If you cannot see the embedded player, click here. Late April has some farmers in Western Canada dusting off the seeding equipment, and there have even been reports of elusive railcars sighted at elevators. This is the backdrop to which grains continue to trade off of weather and the geopolitical situation in Eastern Europe. Concerns… Read More
The garden is ready for a new crop, the fields wait to warm under the sun. Calves are learning to stand on wobbly legs, chicks are growing in the warmth of the coop and the geese have arrived. With light rain starting overhead and the kettle on boil, nothing seems more fitting for Depth of Field, than… Read More
By Karen Lewis As farmers across the central U.S. corn belt scramble to prevent the spread of western corn rootworm resistance to Bt corn, Prairie wheat growers are being urged to be diligent in their stewardship efforts to protect midge tolerant wheat technology. “Resistance to corn rootworm technology is really a cautionary tale for Prairie… Read More
Grains are seeing more premium priced in this week as the complex continues to deal with cold weather in North America and the political unrest in Eastern Europe. Due to depreciating currencies and affordable financing available, it’s expected that grain and oilseed acres and production in the Black Sea will decline significantly from last year…. Read More
A pre-seed burn down is often the first pass on a field. Some may overlook the importance of getting a strong burn-down, but in reality it can be a huge detriment if some components get overlooked. And if you’re going to do a job, you should do it well. Why does a pre-seed burn-down matter?… Read More
If you cannot see the embedded player, click here. The second week of April brought the USDA’s monthly instalment of the world agricultural supply and demand estimates and the numbers were: relatively bearish wheat, bullish soybeans, and bullish corn. Oats year-end inventories were dropped by 10 million bushels to a new record low of 20… Read More
If you cannot see the embedded player, please click here to hear this audio. As we ended the month of March and shovelled our way through “spring” weather in to April, the grain markets were hit with a fairly uneventful Stocks and Acreage report from the USDA. The biggest shock came in the form of… Read More
Cigi’s board of directors announced today the retirement of Earl Geddes, chief executive officer (CEO), effective September 8, 2014. Since 2009, Geddes has led Cigi through a challenging period including a transition in marketing from the Canadian Wheat Board monopoly era to an open marketing system for wheat and barley in Western Canada. Also, during… Read More
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