Crops

A canola analyst with PI Financial says Agriculture Canada’s 2023-24 canola production estimate is pessimistic. It is forecasting 18.4 million tonnes, only slightly bigger than last year’s disappointing crop of 18.17 million tonnes. Ken Ball is surprised with how low their projection is. Ball has seen private sector estimates calling for a crop in excess […]

Although it’s still early in the growing season, some insect pests have already posed a threat to crops in Saskatchewan or could do so in the near future. That’s according to James Tansey, provincial specialist for insects/invertebrate pest management. Among the pests he cited were grasshoppers, flea beetles and pea leaf weevils.  Tansey says the grasshopper […]

The federal government is giving farmers and ranchers the opportunity to make their operations cleaner and greener. The Agricultural Clean Technology Program — Adoption Stream (ACT) is accepting applications, starting today (Thurs). Federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau says it will provide non-repayable grants between $25-thousand and $2-million so producers can buy equipment that reduces greenhouse gas emissions […]

Another great week for seeding in Saskatchewan. According to today’s crop report, 89 percent of seeding has been completed, up from 68 percent the previous week, but slightly behind the 5-year average of 92 percent for this time of year. The northwest region is almost done at 97 percent complete, the west central is 94 […]

A second Minnesota man involved in an alleged organic crops conspiracy has pleaded guilty to making a false statement and could spend up to 14 months in jail. That’s according to a plea agreement filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota. In addition, Adam Olson, owner and operator of Olson Seed in Windom, […]

The amount of fresh fruit available on store shelves across the country fell by more than five per cent between 2021 and 2022. And Statistics Canada says ongoing supply chain issues, labour shortages and price increases also led to a nearly six per cent drop in the availability of fresh vegetables, except for potatoes. Even […]

ICE Futures canola contracts fell hard to end the month of May, dropping to levels not seen in more than two years. While the oversold market may be due for a correction, there could also still be more room to the downside. While canola is usually the leader in the relationship with European rapeseed, the […]

Analysts says a merger of U.S. grains merchant Bunge Ltd. with rival Viterra would grow the combined entity’s businesses in the U.S., Brazil and Australia and may raise competition concerns in parts of Canada and Argentina, where key oilseed processing assets overlap. Sources last week said Bunge and Viterra were in talks for a potential mega deal that […]

Today, Premier Scott Moe joined André Roth, Global Head of Grains & Oilseeds for Louis Dreyfus Company (LDC) and Brian Conn, LDC’s Country Manager for Canada, to celebrate the official start of the project to expand the company’s canola crushing facility in Yorkton. “It’s a great day as we celebrate the next step in LDC’s […]

Most, if not all, residents are aware of how important agriculture is to Saskatchewan, but Economic Development Regina (EDR) decided to take that thought a step further and quantify it’s significance. EDR released a report today called “Saskatchewan’s Annual Megaproject: Spring Seeding” which “uses data from a range of sources to understand the impact of […]