(Dave Bedard photo)

Flax expected to lose a third of acres

CNS Canada — Canada’s flax acres are expected to fall about a third from last year’s levels, according to Statistics Canada data. One market participant says weaker prices have influenced farmers, while another says smaller crops are often overlooked during surveys. StatsCan estimates flax’s seeded area at about 1.1 million acres, compared with 1.6 million acres



Desi chickpeas. (PulseCanada.com)

New-crop chickpea prices strong, but seed short

CNS Canada — Production issues in growing regions have driven chickpea prices higher, one analyst says, but limited seed means Canadian producers may not be able to take advantage of strong new-crop pricing. “Bottom line, the world is out of chickpeas,” said Colin Young of Midwest Investments. “As the year progressed everyone was hoping the

Flea beetles on canola leaf

Flea beetles, cutworms flagged

European corn borer counts could also keep climbing

Based on last year’s conditions, a Manitoba provincial specialist is flagging three insects producers should watch for this growing season. Flea beetles The species of flea beetle that most concerns John Gavloski, entomologist with Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Development, mainly affects canola. Farmers often use treated seed to minimize flea beetle issues, but that






(Lisa Guenther photo)

CBOT weekly outlook: Corn, soybeans await data

CNS Canada — Soybeans and corn at the Chicago Board of Trade have been edging higher on investor short-covering ahead of a key report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. While trade estimates are bearish for both of those markets, highly-anticipated reports often throw curveballs at investors, one analyst says. Soybeans – “This report is


Canary seed demand tepid, prices moving lower

CNS Canada — Despite now being approved for human consumption, demand for canary seed still hasn’t taken flight — and that’s being reflected in lower prices, one industry specialist says. The largest source of pressure in Canada’s canary seed market is weak demand, according to David Nobbs, chair at the Canaryseed Development Commission of Saskatchewan in