Articles by Adam Johnston | Manitoba Co-operator

Planned Prairie canaryseed acreage surprises industry

Increased intended Prairie canaryseed acreage this spring, as reported by Statistics Canada last week, is seen as surprising given the lack of demand, and limited price competitiveness with other crops. "Overall demand for birds is down so much, canaryseed is just not needed," said Maurice Coupal of GrainEx International at Sedley, Sask., about 50 km

Livestock, Markets

High Alta. feed barley bids spur demand switching

By Adam Johnston, GFM Network News May 1, 2012

The continuing upward trend in Alberta old-crop feed barley cash bids over the past few months is seen to be making other feed grains more attractive to buyers. "We’ve seen inclusion rates of feed wheat go up, so feedlots are buying more feed wheat because it’s more cheaper than feed barley," said Jim Beusekom, a

Cereals, Forages, News

Canadian forage exports remain strong

By Adam Johnston April 20, 2012

Commodity News Service Canada / Solid U.S. demand and interest from China are keeping Canadian forage exports firm, but higher transportation costs and competition from the U.S. Midwest may limit the upside potential, says Wayne Digby of the Canadian Forage and Grassland Association. The easing of drought conditions in the southern U.S. could lessen demand, but

News

Loonie expected to remain slightly below parity

By Adam Johnston April 20, 2012

Commodity News Service Canada / The loonie will likely remain slightly below parity with the U.S. greenback as continued global economic uncertainty will weigh on the Canadian currency, predicts currency analyst Greg Moore. The FX Strategist with TD Securities in Toronto expects the Canadian dollar to trade around 97 cents in the second quarter and around

Markets

Forage exports remain strong

By Adam Johnston, GFM Network News April 13, 2012

While Canadian forage exports remain firm with solid U.S. demand and interest from China providing some underlying support, concerns remain that transportation issues and exports from the U.S. Midwest may limit further upside potential. Wayne Digby, executive director of the Canadian Forage and Grassland Association, said some of the underlying support in Canadian exports has

Crops, Markets

New-crop canola cash values advance

By Adam Johnston, GFM Network News April 10, 2012

New-crop Prairie canola bids continue their bullish trend seen since the start of 2012. However, talk of overbought positions in the futures, and the looming idea of large seeded canola area across Western Canada this spring, may cap further gains. Mike Jubinville, an analyst with ProFarmer Canada in Winnipeg, said some of the underlying support

Crops, Weather

Recent Prairie rainfall good news for farmers

By Adam Johnston, GFM Network News March 31, 2012

Recent precipitation across the Prairies has helped ease some of the dryness concerns in the region, and was welcomed by farmers ahead of spring seeding. "One of the impacts, psychologically, with the recent rainfall is it’s been tremendous for farmers," said Stuart McMillan, a weather and crop analyst with the Canadian Wheat Board in Winnipeg.

Crops, Markets

Tight supply strengthens Prairie flax prices

By Adam Johnston, GFM Network News March 27, 2012

After struggling for quite some time, flaxseed values in Western Canada have slowly started to strengthen and there are ideas the uptrend should continue in the near future. "Tight global supplies have certainly helped the strengthening of flax bids," said Mike Jubinville of ProFarmer Canada in Winnipeg. The fact flax supplies in Western Canada are

Cereals, Crops, News

Spring fertilizer demand strong

By Adam Johnston March 23, 2012

Demand for fertilizer by western Canadian farmers looks solid ahead of spring planting. Supportive commodity prices are encouraging farmers to buy fertilizer in order to maximize yield potential in their crops this spring. However, challenges remain in some areas due to last spring’s wet conditions. Doug Chorney, president of the Keystone Agricultural Producers in Manitoba,

Crops, Grain Markets, News, Oilseeds

Western Canadian flaxseed prices edge higher

By Adam Johnston March 14, 2012

Western Canadian flaxseed cash bids have advanced in the past month, with fresh export demand along with tight supply concerns contributing to the firmness, said an industry participant. “The Chinese market has really helped out western Canadian flax prices this year,” said Chuck Penner, an analyst with Left Field Commodity Research in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The

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