Crop Report – for Oct. 8, 2009

SOUTHWEST REGION Rainfall and cool conditions have delayed harvest. A few mornings saw temperatures drop below 0C. Cereal harvest ranges from 70 per cent complete north of Highway #1 to 90 per cent complete south of Highway #1. Yields to date are average to above average with good quality but lower-than-average protein. There are reports

Crop Report – for Oct. 1, 2009

SOUTHWEST: Cereal crop harvest ranges from 80 to 90 per cent complete. Yields are average to above average with good quality. Wheat protein levels are reported as lower than average. Canola harvest ranges from 50 per cent complete to 70 per cent complete with average-to above-average yields and good quality. Flax harvest ranges from just


Oat Crop Late But Catching Up

The oat harvest in Canada’s top-producing region of central Saskatchewan is far behind normal progress but farmers are catching up fast with nearly ideal early-autumn weather. Crop development and harvest are two to three weeks late in the area, said Grant McLean, the cropping management specialist for the government of the western province. Hot weather

Big Oats, Flax Supply Pressure Markets

For three-times-daily market reports from Don Bousquet and RNI, visit “ICE Futures Canada updates” at www.manitobacooperator.ca Grain and oilseed prices at ICE Futures Canada in Winnipeg closed the week ended Sept. 18 mixed, with canola lower. Canola was pressured down by the advancing harvest, the firm Canadian dollar, bearish technical signals and ideas the canola


Crop Report – for Sep. 24, 2009

SOUTHWEST REGION Cereal crop harvest ranges from 75 to 90 per cent complete. Yields are average to above average. Quality is good with lower-than-average protein levels being reported. Canola harvest ranges from 40 to 60 per cent complete with yields average to above average. Flax harvest has just started with initial reports of average yields

Good For The Brain As Well As The Body

When our stomachs are running on empty, we may feel tired and unable to focus on our tasks. Our brain doesn’t function well, either. Refuelling your body and brain with nourishing food has many benefits for people of all ages. Parents should remember the role of breakfast in school performance. Eating “something” is better than


“Wild” Oats May Hold The Key To Rust Resistance

There’s wild oats, and then there’s “wild” oats. For researchers looking for genes that could improve the ability of domesticated varieties to fend off crown and stem rust, the wild oats that everyone loves to hate – avena fatua – is not even considered a contender. Although it looks tough, tall and hardy, it’s not

Crop Report – for Sep. 17, 2009

SOUTHWEST The majority of the region got precipitation over the past week, with amounts ranging from 25 to 100 millimetres. Cereal crop harvest ranges from 30 to 60 per cent complete with yield and quality average to above average. Recent precipitation is having an impact on quality, with bleaching of spring wheat and staining in


Electronic Sniffer For Taste, Aroma

Move over Toucan Sam, there’s a new nose in town. The parrot in the Froot Loops TV commercials, who “follows his snoot, for flavours of fruit,” has for decades urged children to nag their parents into buying the colourful cereal of dubious nutritive value. At the Richardson Centre for Functional Foods and Nutraceutical Research, scientists

Crop Report – for Sep. 3, 2009

SOUTHWEST Harvesting of winter cereals continues across the region with reports of average to above-average yields and good quality; weather permitting, most growers should complete harvest of those crops by the end of the week. Barley and wheat harvests have also started with average yields and good quality reported. Desiccation and swathing of spring cereals