Why is canola winning acres and not wheat?

Why is canola winning acres and not wheat?

The percentage increase in yields for both are about the same leaving some to speculate it’s more about demand than genetics or private versus public variety development

Wheat needs more research money to compete with crops like canola. That’s the message organizers delivered at the first consultation meeting on two new proposed royalty options in Winnipeg Nov. 16. “Cereals are necessary in crop rotations to prevent pest and disease pressures from emerging,” a government slide presentation said. “However, due to declining profitability

The decline in wheat acres compared to the increase in canola acres reflects their supply and demand, Stonewall farmer Bill Matheson told the first consultation meeting on proposed new royalties for cereal crops.

Why is canola beating wheat?

The prevailing wisdom could have it all wrong

Wheat needs more research money to compete with crops like canola. That’s the message organizers delivered at the first consultation meeting on two new proposed royalty options in Winnipeg Nov. 16. “Cereals are necessary in crop rotations to prevent pest and disease pressures from emerging,” a government slide presentation said. “However, due to declining profitability


Federal Finance Minister Bill Morneau delivers the fall economic update to Parliament Nov. 21.

Ottawa serves up faster depreciation in fall economic update

An enhanced export diversification strategy and commitment to competitiveness were also welcomed by farm groups

Farm and other business groups welcomed new equipment depreciation rules and a diversified export strategy, Finance Minister Bill Morneau announced in his fall economic update. The Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA), Grain Growers of Canada (GGC), the Canadian Agri-Food Trade Alliance (CAFTA) and the Canadian Produce Marketing Association (CPMA) were among the groups welcoming the

China trade can be boosted

China trade can be boosted

Agri-food exports could thrive but Canada needs to push to reduce tariffs and other trade barriers

China is a growing market for Canadian agri-food exports and could become even more important if it reduces tariffs and other trade barriers, says the Canadian Agri-Food Trade Alliance. The call came as four federal cabinet ministers were in China to discuss improved relations. While a free trade deal with China seems far away, proposals


The hemp sector is experiencing a few growing pains lately.

Hemp market woes launch contract conflicts

Fresh Hemp Foods says market pressures forced it to ask producers to voluntarily dock contract prices, but producers aren’t happy with the cut

Hemp growers say they are getting a raw deal on contracts after being asked to accept a lower price than initially agreed. In late 2017, growers contracted by Fresh Hemp Foods (an umbrella company including Manitoba Harvest) received a letter asking them to adjust contract prices. The letter blamed market pressures for the move, including

Members of Illinois Soybean Growers Association and a trade group of grain buyers from Sri Lanka inspect soybeans of Pioneer-DuPont Seed facility in Addieville, Illinois, September 19, 2018.

U.S. farmers scramble to contain trade war damage, find new markets

Replacing a customer the size of China, however, is proving to be a very tall order

Clouds crowded the Illinois sky as Nick Harre walked away from his combine at the peak of harvest to join four fellow farmers in greeting some unlikely visitors. Inside a nearby seed barn, they made their pitch to eight Sri Lankan government officials: Please buy our soybeans. The wooing of such a tiny market underscores


Workers transport imported soybeans at a port in Nantong, Jiangsu province, 
China April 9, 2018.

As China soy demand wavers, U.S. farmers turn back to grains

It looks like soy will only be king of the U.S. Grain Belt for a single season

Reuters – Since the mid-2000s, North Dakota farmer Paul Thomas has planted more of his land with soybeans as China’s demand for the oilseed grew. The shift culminated this year when Thomas planted 1,600 of his 5,000 acres with soybeans — the most ever. But Thomas and many farmers like him plan to return to

Efficiency in Canada's grain pipeline will play a major part when competing against other countries.

How to beat the Black Sea

Russia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan are going to be fierce competition in the coming years

There’s good news and bad news for Canadian grain shippers. Western Canadian offshore grain exports are running ahead of last year despite harvest delays and the railways are performing well. But Canada’s grain monitor warns to compete with increasing exports from the Black Sea region, Canada must keep its grain pipeline efficient. “Canada has one


One industry representative says non-grain rail traffic, such as coal and containers, is causing the increase in car cycle times.

Grain rail car cycle times creeping higher

It’s a concern to grain shippers and canola crushers moving oil and meal

Grain is moving well in Western Canada, but rail service for canola oil and meal shippers needs to be more predictable. That was Chris Vervaet’s, executive director of the Canadian Oilseed Processors Association, message to the Fields on Wheels conference Nov. 2 in Winnipeg. Rail service is also inconsistent for crop shippers resulting in an

Editorial: Volatility likely to linger

When you are as dependent on exports as Canadian farmers, the ability to weather volatile markets has to be part of the business plan. The Canadian Agri-Food Trade Alliance says Canada exports half of the beef and cattle produced, 70 per cent of its soybeans, 70 per cent of its pork production, 75 per cent