Dwayne Klassen

(Resource News International) — There were few surprises Monday in Statistics Canada’s first acreage survey for the 2008 season, although forecast seeded area for barley, oats and some specialty crops were considered by market participants to be a bit on the low side. The agency’s durum estimate was also considered to be a bit lower

Winnipeg (Resource News International) — Exporters indicate that at least two cargoes of Canadian wheat have been sold to Brazilian millers as the farmers’ strike in Argentina left end-users looking to find alternative suppliers. “There is still some speculation that the Canadian wheat could have been either from Ontario or from Western Canada,” an export

(Resource News International) — Expectations for fewer oats acres in the U.S. won’t impact the Canadian oats market in any shape or form, according to industry participants. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, in its prospective plantings report released March 31, estimated U.S. oats area in 2008 at 3.420 million acres, down nine per cent from

Winnipeg (Resource News International) — Southwestern Saskatchewan farmer Larry Hill has been elected the new chairman of the Canadian Wheat Board, after Ken Ritter stepped down from the position this week, the CWB confirmed Friday. The election took place at a board of directors’ meeting on Thursday, said Maureen Fitzhenry, the CWB’s media relations manager.

(Resource News International) — The number of acres that Ontario farmers plan to plant to soybeans this spring is expected to be steady to possibly slightly higher than in 2007, according to the Ontario government. Ontario accounts for roughly 80 to 81 per cent of Canada’s total soybean output. “There is certainly a lot of

(Resource News International) — The absence of snowcover in southern regions of Canada’s Prairie grain belt has created concerns over winterkill in the winter wheat crop. “No one is really sure of the extent of the damage,” said Jake Davidson, an executive manager with Winter Cereals Canada. “However, there are indications that there has been

(Resource News International) — Alternative crop choices and high input costs were expected to cause a small decline in the number of acres to be seeded to corn in Ontario this spring, according to an official with the Ontario Corn Producers Association. “I would say that while it is still very early in the spring,

(Resource News International) — Lack of moisture in the central regions of the Prairies is hindering optimism for spring seeding among producers, according to a number of market participants. “There is a large contingent of producers, primarily from the central south part of the Prairies, that are clearly looking at the driest soil moisture conditions

(Resource News International) — Spring road restrictions in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba are in the process of being implemented and are expected to limit farmers’ ability to move grain for the next couple of months, according to industry officials. Spring weight restrictions have already been implemented on certain rural roads in Alberta. An official with