Barbara Aguiar (l) of BASF moderates a panel including Aurelio Pavinato of SLC Agricola; Brian Nunemaker of Oak Prairie Farms; and Charles Hall of the North Carolina Soybean Producers Association. (Leeann Minogue photo)

Minogue: Available acres may make Brazil top soy player

Raleigh, N.C. — Whatever major boosts may soon come in world soybean production are seen coming from countries with the acres to spare, not necessarily from breeders building better beans. That’s how one major player in Brazil’s soybean sector sees the near future, as growers meeting here Thursday discussed the road ahead for the crop


Sclerotinia apothecia are very small, about half a centimetre, requiring growers to look closely while scouting. (Photo courtesy Canola Council of Canada)

Factors line up for sclerotinia in 2014

To spray or not to spray? It’s a tougher question when it comes to sclerotinia in canola than for most other crop diseases. Last year, the high levels of sclerotinia many forecasters called for didn’t materialize. This year’s disease levels, and farmers’ decisions about going to the expense of spraying to control it, will mainly

The jury’s still out on whether larger canola seeds stand a better chance of survival than those of a smaller kernel size. (Photo courtesy Syngenta)

Minogue: In canola seed, smaller size a better value

Canola’s seed kernel size can vary greatly from year to year, ranging from three to 7.5 grams per 1,000 kernels. While some growers believe larger seeds have a better chance of survival and can be seeded at lighter rates, others say there isn’t enough evidence to assume that larger seeds will always have higher survivability.



Commodity analyst Larry Weber, shown here at an SPG meeting in Regina, expects some “swing acres” in Saskatchewan to move into lentils this spring. (Leeann Minogue photo)

Sask. growers eye increased pulse, soybean acres

Having spent the week taking the pulse of Saskatchewan’s grain and oilseed growers, the province’s pea, bean and lentil grower organization expects to see more acres in the province shift this spring to pulses — and to soybeans. “We’re expecting pea and lentil acreage to be up this spring,” Carl Potts, executive director for Saskatchewan


Brent Kosior addresses farmers at an unofficial meeting of Weyburn Inland Terminal shareholders on Feb. 4. (Leeann Minogue photo)

Farmers seek to stave off Weyburn Terminal takeover

Eleven southeastern Saskatchewan farmers hope to fend off a planned takeover of a farmer-owned grain terminal by drafting their own ticket for the terminal’s board. More than 200 Weyburn Inland Terminal shareholders gathered Tuesday at McKenna Hall in Weyburn to discuss the proposed takeover of the grain terminal by privately-held grain handler Parrish and Heimbecker.

‘Biggest year’ seen for cash advance applications

With rail congestion, jammed elevators and a record-large crop dragging on farmers’ ability to deliver grain, a federal program to help farmers with near-term cash flow is seeing a particularly busy year. Federal ag lender Farm Credit Canada is already urging farmers who haven’t done so to consider applying to the federal Advance Payments Program



Farmer-owned Sask. terminal’s potential sale questioned

Some shareholders and customers of southeastern Saskatchewan’s Weyburn Inland Terminal have joined together to question the potential sale of the farmer-owned facility to outside buyers. WIT on Dec. 13 announced it’s pursuing “expressions of interest” regarding the potential sale of all or part of the Weyburn, Sask. company. “We’re worried about local competition, if the