Cargill’s elevator at Oakner, Man., about 10 km south of Hamiota. (Hamiota.com)

Cargill to expand western Manitoba elevator

Agrifood firm Cargill expects to provide more marketing opportunities for western Manitoba growers — particularly of soybeans — with a major elevator expansion. The U.S. company’s Winnipeg-based Canadian arm on Thursday announced it will put up $15 million to add 9,000 tonnes of storage capacity to its 13,500-tonne capacity elevator at Oakner, Man., about 70 […] Read more

(AvenaFoods.com)

Prairie processors plan gluten-free partnership

A Saskatchewan firm processing gluten-free oats is pairing up with a Manitoba pulse miller to expand Prairie producers’ space in the certified gluten-free market. Portage la Prairie-based Best Cooking Pulses and Regina-based Avena Foods on Monday announced a new partnership agreement they say will boost cross-selling and market penetration. Financial terms of the partnership, which […] Read more


Mike Schellenberg and Alan Iwaasa are evaluating the impact of polycrop mixtures on grazing capacity and soil health in the semi-arid prairie.

Seeking plants with polyculture potential

Choose your species wisely to avoid unintended results

When producers discuss the benefits of growing annual polycultures, also known as multi-species mixes or crop cocktails, the talk often revolves around soil-health and environmental improvements, often­­­times taking forage production for granted. Of course, production does occur, but yield and feed quality may be disappointing if the species chosen target soil problems rather than forage […] Read more

Sustained intake of ergot contaminated feed will shut down blood supply to an animal's extremities, and over time, worsen its condition.

Ergot poisoning: An ancient scourge remains a problem in modern rations

Vet Advice with Dr. Ron Clarke

The negative impacts of ergot contamination in food were recognized as early as the fifth century AD. Ergot, a plant parasite, commonly affects rye grass, but wheat, rye, barley, oats, brome, fescue, blue, timothy, western and intermediate wheatgrass and other grasses can also be infected. Environmental conditions associated with a cool wet spring followed by […] Read more


(File photo courtesy Canola Council of Canada)

Canola stocks look less tight in StatsCan report

CNS Canada — Canadian farmers grew a record amount of canola in 2017, despite weather concerns, according to updated production estimates on Wednesday from Statistics Canada. The agency pegged production in 2017-18 at 21.3 million tonnes, up from the September estimate of 19.7 million and last year’s total of 19.6 million. The rise in production […] Read more

Canola south of Ethelton, Sask. on Aug. 3, 2017. (Dave Bedard photo)

Larger crops expected in StatsCan report

CNS Canada — Canada’s canola and wheat production likely ended up larger than earlier expectations, but just how much more remains to be seen, as industry participants await the Statistics Canada production report due out Wednesday. “The finish seemed to be better than what the weather looked like earlier in the year,” said Neil Townsend […] Read more


(Dave Bedard photo)

Trade expecting bigger canola, wheat numbers from StatsCan

Reuters — Canadian farmers harvested the biggest canola crop on record, slightly larger than was expected in September, a Reuters survey of 15 traders and analysts showed ahead of a key government report. Wheat production is also seen higher than earlier expectations, as favourable weather produced big yields. Statistics Canada will release its final crop […] Read more

Photo: File

Cash ticket deferral option to remain unchanged

The federal government is leaving its deferred cash purchase ticket policy unchanged. When listed grains (wheat, oats, barley, rye, flax, canola, rapeseed) are delivered for payment at a licensed elevator, an elevator operator can issue either a cash purchase ticket or a deferred cash purchase ticket, payable in the year following the year in which […] Read more


(Stephen Ausmus photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

Major retailers say federal bread pricing probe underway

Major Canadian grocery retailers Metro and Loblaw say a federal investigation is underway concerning the pricing of certain commercial bread products. Toronto-based Loblaw and its parent firm, George Weston Ltd., announced Tuesday they’re aware of an “industry-wide investigation” by the federal Competition Bureau concerning a “price-fixing scheme involving certain packaged bread products.” The two companies […] Read more

(Photo courtesy General Mills via Flickr)

Cheerios to remove ‘gluten-free’ claim

The maker of Cheerios cereal is pulling a controversial “gluten-free” claim from the product’s Canadian packaging starting in 2018, over what it says is a lack of a “consistent” testing protocol for oat products. General Mills announced last week it will remove the “gluten-free” claim from Cheerios sold in Canada starting in January, though it […] Read more