Farmers in Western Canada’s waterlogged crop belt expect to plant their crops 10 days to three weeks behind schedule, raising the risk of lower yields and quality, a Canadian Wheat Board official said Monday. Snowfall late last week and through the weekend worsened wet conditions that have kept tractors idle this spring. Planting delays leave […] Read more
Prairie seeding seen 10 days to three weeks behind
Prairie flooding delays seeding two weeks so far
Farmers in flooded Western Canada look to plant at least two weeks later than normal as average to heavy snowpack melts on saturated fields and causes rivers to overflow. The most optimistic scenario would see farmers in Saskatchewan and Alberta, the two biggest producers of wheat and canola, start planting in early May, assuming that […] Read more
Flood risk builds, looks to delay seeding
Snow is still piled deep on Humphrey Banack’s grain farm at a time when he’s usually tuning up his tractor for seeding. The wettest fields before planting since the 1970s look to frustrate Canadian farmers’ zeal to sow their fields on time this spring and cash in on wheat and canola prices that are near […] Read more
Impending storm worsens Prairie flood risk, crop outlook
A snowstorm that looks to sweep across Western Canada’s grain and canola belt would worsen what are already the wettest conditions for this time of year since the 1970s, a Canadian Wheat Board official said Monday. Environment Canada, the government forecasting agency, issued warnings for snowfall up to 25 cm (9.8 inches) in southern Alberta […] Read more
U.S. makes biggest buy of Prairie feed wheat in decade
Canadian feed wheat is flowing into the southeastern United States in the largest quantities for more than a decade, highlighting tight U.S. corn supplies and a surplus of feed wheat in Canada, several trade sources said on Wednesday. Wilmington Bulk LLC, a consortium of North Carolina poultry and swine producers including Smithfield Foods, has bought […] Read more
Canada offers wheat, Japan buys as planned
Japan bought food wheat from Canada at a regular tender on Thursday and a Canadian Wheat Board memo shows it managed to find scarce high-protein supplies despite a global shortage of top-quality wheat. The CWB sold Japan’s ministry of agriculture 37,110 tonnes of top-grade spring wheat for shipping March 12 to April 11, with a […] Read more
Canada misses Japan wheat tender over low protein
(Reuters) — The Canadian Wheat Board didn’t fill a recent wheat tender from Japan because its wheat has a lower percentage of protein than Japan usually requires, a spokeswoman for the marketing agency said Thursday. But the CWB remains confident of filling future tenders from Japan, its fourth-largest wheat export market, after talks with Japan’s […] Read more
New demand shown for Canadian corn, in Spain
Two cargoes of Canadian corn were shipped to Spain in just over a month, a rare occurrence that underscores strong demand for the feed grain in Europe. Transport Canada spokeswoman Josianne Martel said on Wednesday that two ships, the Rodlo and Great Mary, left the port of Sorel, Que., with Canadian corn for Spain. The […] Read more
Analysts see return to profits for hog farmers
(Reuters) — Canadian hog farmers look to return to profitability later this year, slowing the pace of herd downsizing as high hog prices outweigh the negative effects of a surging Canadian dollar, industry analysts said Thursday. Hog farmers have suffered from several mostly unprofitable years because of high feed costs, a strong dollar and the […] Read more
Grain rally less speculative than in 2008: Ritz
(Reuters) — The recent rally in grain and oilseed prices is based more on concerns about crop levels than on speculation by investors, Canada’s agriculture minister said on Monday. Prices of crops such as wheat, corn, soybeans and canola are at their highest levels in more 2-1/2 years amid flooding in Australia and dryness in […] Read more