Speaking at at Ag Days in Brandon Jan. 16 Agriculture Minister Ralph Eichler announced an average seven per cent drop in crop insurance premiums for the 2018 crop. Some other important changes to crop insurance were announced in a news release, including ending the pre-harvest deductible for corn and soybeans.

Lower crop insurance premiums, in 2018

The pre-harvest deductible on corn and soybeans is ending and CHNR wheat gets its own category

A host of changes, including lower premiums, are coming to crop insurance for the coming season. Speaking at Ag Days on Jan. 16 Ralph Eichler, the provincial agriculture minister told farmers they can expect to pay less, to no longer have pre-harvest deductibles for corn and soybeans, and to see changes in soybean coverage and



About 34 per cent of corn produced in Ontario already goes to ethanol production.  Photo: John Greig

Ontario proposal aims to double ethanol blend in fuel

Government move would boost corn market in the province

An Ontario government proposal could dramatically increase the amount of Ontario corn going into ethanol production and help bring consistency to the basis price for corn in the province. The government has posted its proposal to increase ethanol content in the province’s gasoline from five to 10 per cent to the Environmental Bill of Rights

Oilseed Rape Pods

Lack of export demand drags canola to multi-month lows

Improved outlooks for South American soybeans aren’t helping

The thesaurus got a bit of a workout during the week ended Dec. 15 in an ongoing effort to come up with new words to describe the downtrend/slide/drop/slip/fall/collapse/general sense of weakness in the canola market. Canola prices fell to their lowest levels in three months during the week, and while Friday saw a modest correction,


The Big River Resources ethanol plant at West Burlington, Iowa, about 120 km southwest of Davenport. (Steven Vaughn photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

U.S. Midwest lawmakers will consider biofuel changes

New York | Reuters — U.S. lawmakers from states that produce corn for ethanol plants said on Wednesday they would consider proposals from Senator Ted Cruz of Texas to help the oil refining industry cope with the nation’s biofuels regulation, but would never agree on anything that diminishes the program. The price of U.S. renewable

(Canada Beef Inc. photo)

Feed barley in sync with Manitoba corn

CNS Canada — This year’s bumper harvest of Manitoba corn is making an impact at Alberta feedlots. According to Market Place Commodities at Lethbridge, feed barley prices are near the $215 per tonne mark, down $5 from a few weeks ago. “Corn is filling some of the volume demand, so it is keeping the price


Photo: iStock

Wheat storage a winner, says analyst

Winnipeg | CNS – As yields grow throughout North America and the physical size of the crop becomes larger, farmers who invest in storage bins now, stand to reap the rewards later. “Guys with space are winning,” said Kurt Ahrens, founder of Grainbot in Omaha, Nebraska. Speaking at the Grain World Conference in Winnipeg, he



Standing corn may be a viable way for Manitoba producers to extend their grazing season, but there are a few things 
to watch for.

Standing corn an option for extended beef grazing

An extended grazing season may be cheaper with standing corn, but there are a few dos and don’ts to keep in mind

If a cow is grazing, you don’t have to feed it. It’s a deceptively simple statement, and the basis for many cattle producers looking at extended grazing to cut costs. Farmers have looked at bale grazing, forage stockpiling and swath grazing, among others; but another grazing system has caught the interest of some beef producers,

Late-season verticillium in canola appears as black peppering beneath the flaking outer surface of the stem.

Fall field scouting can highlight diseases

Verticillium and Goss’s wilt are both easily spotted near or after harvest

Field scouting doesn’t stop with the combine, but it does become more specific, according to Dr. Vikram Bisht, pathologist with Manitoba Agriculture. “Usually, to scout for soil-borne pathogens is not an easy thing because you have to do a lot of laboratory work, but if you have the pathogens which survive in the crop residue