Ron Kostyshyn is sworn in on Oct. 18, 2023 as Manitoba’s minister for agriculture, with Premier Wab Kinew at left. (Government of Manitoba video screengrab via YouTube)

Former ag minister returns in new Manitoba cabinet

Kinew names Kostyshyn to ag portfolio

Incoming Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew has brought a former provincial agriculture minister back to the cabinet table to handle the ag file. Ron Kostyshyn, who from 2012 to 2016 was then-premier Greg Selinger’s ag minister while serving as MLA for the northwestern riding of Swan River, was sworn in Wednesday as minister of agriculture in



CBOT November 2023 soybeans with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Soybeans hold firm with harvest, domestic demand in focus

Corn eases as harvest watched, wheat retreats from two-week high

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Board of Trade soybean futures firmed for a second straight session on Tuesday amid thin technical trading, as strong domestic demand eased concerns about supplies growing as the U.S. harvest continued. Corn inched down while traders monitored the U.S. harvest progress, as investors watched Israel’s war with Palestinian militant group

Pinto beans. (Vergani_Fotografia/iStock/Getty Images)

Pulse weekly outlook: Smaller North American dry bean crops to underpin prices

Canada's edible bean crop estimated smallest since 2016

MarketsFarm — Variable weather conditions during the 2023 growing season cut into edible bean production in some key North American growing regions, with tighter supplies overall likely to keep prices well supported. “The whole world is a little short of beans this year,” said Mitch Coulter, executive director of the Northarvest Bean Growers Association in


(File photo by Dave Bedard)

Fund short position grows in canola

Funds shift to net short in CBOT soybeans

MarketsFarm — The managed money net short position in ICE canola futures continued to grow in early October as speculators liquidated long positions and put on new shorts, according to the latest Commitments of Traders report from the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). As of Oct. 10, the net managed-money short position in canola

CBOT December 2023 soft red winter wheat with 20-day moving average, MGEX December 2023 hard red spring wheat (yellow line) and K.C. December 2023 hard red winter wheat (orange line). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Wheat down off two-week high on global demand

U.S. says soybean harvest is 62 per cent complete

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Board of Trade wheat futures ended lower on Monday after rising earlier to their highest level in more than two weeks on hopes for global demand. Corn futures also eased as traders monitored the U.S. harvest, while gains in soyoil futures helped lift the soybean market, analysts said. After trading


Counting the stems and tillers of fall-emerged winter cereals will provide a better stand assessment.

Solid footing for Manitoba’s winter cereal crops

The fall had some quirks, but an open seeding window boosted interest in the crop

Manitoba’s winter cereals are off to a good start. Anne Kirk, cereals specialist with Manitoba Agriculture, and Alex Griffiths, agronomist with the winter wheat program of Ducks Unlimited Canada, both report plenty of fields in good shape, particularly those seeded in the prime window in early to mid-September. “We have had some moisture this September,

A DryAir central heating system feeds aeration fans for a row of grain bins. (Assie.ca)

Investment firm buys Saskatchewan drying system maker

EIC buys DryAir for $60 million

A Winnipeg investment firm with ownership stakes in Canadian manufacturing and airlines has bought a Saskatchewan company that makes heating and drying systems for grain growers and other sectors. Exchange Income Corp. (EIC) announced Oct. 5 it has bought DryAir Manufacturing of St. Brieux for about $60 million in cash and EIC stock. DryAir, in


(Thinkstock photo)

Prairie cash wheat: Most bids lower

U.S. wheat futures down on week

MarketsFarm — Bids for Canada Western Red Spring (CWRS) wheat were lower in Manitoba, but higher in the rest of the Prairies, while those for Canada Prairie Spring Red (CPSR) and Canada Western Amber Durum (CWAD) wheat also went down during the week ended Thursday. U.S. wheat futures declined for the week, but were supported

(File photo by Dave Bedard)

EU countries fail to agree on extending glyphosate approval

Current approval expires Dec. 15

Brussels | Reuters — European Union governments failed on Friday to give a decisive opinion on a proposal to extend by 10 years EU approval for the use of glyphosate, the active ingredient in Bayer’s Roundup herbicide. A “qualified majority” of 15 countries representing at least 65 per cent of the bloc’s population had been