Kenny Piecharka

Is rye on the rise in Canada?

There’s new reason for optimism around the cereal, insiders

Cover cropping and changes to single-use agreements could see Canadian rye acres surge in the next five to 10 years.

Canola stubble is ideal for winter cereal planting, but barley and pea stubble have been shown to be good alternatives.

Are winter cereals headed for a comeback? 

Early harvest creates more options for field selection

Winter wheat and fall rye acreage in Manitoba has been declining in recent years, but an early harvest could see winter cereals bounce back. “In terms of field selection, this is a much better year to be planning and planting winter cereal varieties than last year,” said Manitoba Agriculture crop extension specialist Anne Kirk. Why


The Verkhovna Rada building, home to Ukraine’s parliament, in Kiev. (Cia.gov)

Ukraine lifts barriers to exports of some farm goods

Export licenses were in place to maintain domestic supplies

Kyiv | Reuters — Ukraine has removed barriers to the export of some agricultural commodities, imposed last year to prevent food shortages, in a bid to boost foreign currency income, its government said on Tuesday. The country introduced export licences in 2022 to protect food supplies after agricultural production was hit by Russia’s invasion. While

Fall rye flowering in south-central Manitoba. (Allan Dawson photo)

Rye in strong position going into 2022

MarketsFarm — Last summer’s drought sharply reduced yields of many crops across the Prairies, leaving multiple supply challenges and rising prices in the aftermath. Western Canadian rye, however, was largely left unscathed, which may bode well for the crop heading into 2022. Rye production came in at 473,000 tonnes for 2021-22, according to Statistics Canada


Rye, seeded as a cover crop into corn.

Rye most often-grown cover crop

A new extension publication addresses questions about rye as a cover crop

Cover crops are becoming increasingly important as a component of sustainable agriculture production. “Properly managed cover crops can reduce soil losses from wind and water erosion, reduce nitrogen losses, utilize excessive soil moisture, promote biodiversity, suppress weeds, improve soil structure and improve trafficability of fields,” says Hans Kandel, North Dakota State University Extension agronomist. In temperate regions of

(Canada Beef Inc. photo)

Feed weekly outlook: Demand keeps Canadian barley well supported

MarketsFarm — Solid demand continues to keep feed barley bids in Western Canada well supported, as end-users work to secure supplies in anticipation of tightening stocks going forward. “Competition for barley is coming from every which direction: grain companies exporting barley, feedlots trying to cover barley, and grain companies trying to cover feedlots,” said Jim


(File photo by Lorraine Stevenson)

Producer deliveries spike in June

MarketsFarm — Grain deliveries in Canada increased 48.5 per cent from May to June, according to Statistics Canada in a report released today. The report, Producer Deliveries of Major Grains, showed more than 5.16 million tonnes of all grains were delivered by producers in June, compared to the approximately 3.54 million tonnes in May. It’s

A few rye fields may have struggled to break through cement-like seed beds, thanks to wet planting in 2019 and dry weather this spring opening up furrows and hardening sidewalls.

Fall rye falling flat

Fall rye growers celebrated their emergence rates earlier this spring, but now a number of them say they are fighting ‘floppy rye syndrome’

Provincial cereal experts say the weather may be to blame for rooting problems producers are now seeing in fall rye. Initial reports this spring suggested that winter cereals were off to a good start, thanks to a comparatively mild winter. In April, agronomist Ken Gross from the Western Winter Wheat Initiative said crops last fall



U.S. wheats get limited nod for forage use

U.S. wheats get limited nod for forage use

The varieties are limited to a small region 
of British Columbia

A British Columbia company has got a bit of breathing room in its efforts to promote forage wheats, but it’s not necessarily setting a precedent. Premier Pacific Seeds successfully argued its case to gain a limited interim registration for four U.S. soft winter wheat cultivars (Yamhill, Madsen, Kaseberg and Brudage) were better suited than any