canola seed pods

Canola trade already looking past acreage estimate

However, fewer acres could mean tight supplies to come

ICE Futures Canada canola contracts held narrowly rangebound during the week ended April 24, but managed to move higher overall, with the biggest gains in the new-crop months. Statistics Canada’s acreage intentions report, released April 23, provided the big news for the week as far as canola was concerned. However, even the first official acreage

wild pig trap

Catching wild hogs by smartphone

Non-profit foundation teams with livestock company to produce drop-down system

A U.S. research foundation has announced commercialization of a trap designed to capture feral hogs, which it says cost $1.5 billion in losses in 48 U.S. states. The Noble Foundation, based in Ardmore, Oklahoma along with W-W Livestock Systems of Thomas, Okla. unveiled the BoarBuster trap at the recent National Wild Turkey Federation Convention and


close-up of cattle

Editorial: Time to quit fighting COOL

Maybe we missed it, but somehow we expected there would be more of a buzz when McDonald’s announced that it had chosen Canada for its first-ever project to source sustainable beef. We saw no industry or government releases welcoming the announcement, which seems a bit odd. After all, McDonald’s is North America’s largest beef buyer.

Canada - U.S. border crossing

Everything you ever wanted to know about shipping grain to the U.S.

Online publication includes info on weight restrictions, phytosanitary certificates and more

Canadian and American grain companies have a new resource to assist them when buying or transhipping grain to or through each other’s countries. The goal is to expedite grain trading between the two nations and beyond following the elimination of the Canadian Wheat Board’s single desk. “We’ve seen all sorts of border challenges in other


alfalfa

Will it or won’t it? Producers discuss Roundup Ready alfalfa

Customer preferences should count when assessing new technology

It’s become a perennial issue for forage seed growers. Will or won’t Roundup Ready alfalfa be released in Canada? The question loomed large at the Manitoba Forage Seed Association’s annual conference in Winnipeg last week, where the issue was raised no less than four times. “We basically feel that there isn’t a need for it,

Fuel-efficiency and the tarsands last gasp

The Jacksons, from the Jan. 15, 2015 issue of the Manitoba Co-operator

So I see you drove over here Andrew,” said Grant Toews as he leaned back in his chair and picked up his cup of coffee to take a drink. “Three blocks too long of a walk for you? Or did you just not want to put on your warm socks this morning?” Andrew Jackson looked


railway cars

The little railway that could

Boundary Trails Railway Co. had a record year in a year of epic railway snags

Southern Manitoba’s Boundary Trails Railway Company (BTRC) had geography on its side last year, more than tripling the number of cars it handled. The 38-km short line, which runs from Morden to Binney Corner just west of Manitou, handled 619 grain cars in the 2013-14 shipping year. The company is owned by 90 shareholders, mostly

Storm systems staying away

Issued: Monday, Dec. 8, 2014 – Covering: Dec. 10 – Dec. 17, 2014

As usual for this time of the year, the general weather pattern played out as expected, but differences in the strength of the systems, along with the overall track, ended up impacting the longer-range forecast — at least a little bit. Arctic high pressure moved in as expected behind last weekend’s low and, as predicted,


1974 advertisement for a phone answering machine

A “black year” for Canadian grain shipments

Our History: November 1974

You could lease this automatic telephone answering machine advertised for $28.30 per month ($131.47 in 2014 dollars) in our Nov. 28, 1974 issue. The editorial that week talked about a “black year” for Canadian grain shipments. Our front page reported yet another strike, this time by grain inspectors. This followed strikes by Great Lakes vessel

one dollar banknote among wheat grains

Editorial: The cure for high grain prices is…

When you get right down to it, covering grain markets is kind of like sports reporting. Depending on your perspective, the outcome at the end of the day is either win, lose or tie. There’s only so many ways to describe that, just as there are only so many ways to describe why the market