Saskatchewan orders drainage into Quill Lakes stopped

Saskatchewan property owners draining land into the overflowing Quill Lakes in the east-central part of the province without prior approvals are being ordered to close those drains. The provincial government’s Water Security Agency (WSA) on Thursday said it would invoke new drainage regulations passed last fall and require all unapproved drainage works flowing into the […] Read more



(WeatherFarm.com)

Soggy conditions stress Saskatchewan’s crops

CNS Canada –– Crops were hit hard by rain in many parts of the province during the period of July 5-11, according to a report from the Saskatchewan government. Lloydminster, Estevan and Carrot River were just a few of the communities hit hardest by the precipitation. In some cases, areas in eastern and southern regions […] Read more

(Scott Bauer photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

U.S. grains: New forecast ends rallies

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures fell 3.8 per cent on Thursday, giving up early gains after new weather forecasts boosted expectations of a robust harvest in the U.S. Corn and wheat futures also closed lower after rallying to two-week highs earlier in the session. The latest outlooks dialed back the amount of time […] Read more


The Nile River at Cairo. (CIA.gov)

Egypt prosecutor says some local wheat bought on paper only

Cairo | Reuters –– Egypt’s general prosecutor said on Thursday some local wheat was bought by the government in paper transactions only and not physically delivered, the first public statement by his office on the matter since fraud allegations surfaced last month. Egypt, the world’s largest wheat importer, launched a government-led inspection of wheat silos […] Read more

(Dave Bedard photo)

Bayer sweetens offer for hesitant Monsanto

Reuters — German drug and crop chemical group Bayer on Thursday announced details of a sweetened US$64 billion bid for Monsanto as it tries to put the U.S. seed company under pressure to engage further. The move shows the two companies have made little progress in their negotiations since Monsanto rejected Bayer’s previous offer in […] Read more


(Dave Bedard photo)

Mosaic idles Saskatchewan potash mine

Reuters — Fertilizer producer Mosaic Co. has idled production at its Colonsay, Sask. potash mine for the rest of 2016, and temporarily laid off 330 workers, the company said in a statement Wednesday. Potash prices are hovering around the lowest levels seen in a decade, amid excessive output capacity and delays in setting annual supply […] Read more

Rainfall for July 13, 2016 as of 6:40 p.m. CT. (CoCoRaHS.org)

Storms trim potential for big Prairie crops

Reuters — Heavy rain and strong winds are likely to curb the potential for Western Canada’s crops, government officials said, but the harvest may still be bigger than average. Pockets across Saskatchewan, Canada’s biggest wheat- and canola-growing province, received as much as five inches of rain, strong winds and hail since Sunday. The storms flattened […] Read more


(BASF.com)

Monsanto reported exploring BASF ag unit buy

Reuters — Seed company Monsanto, which rejected Bayer’s buyout offer in May, is exploring various transactions, including the acquisition of BASF’s agriculture-solutions unit, news service Bloomberg reported. In return, BASF would likely receive newly issued shares in Monsanto, Bloomberg said, citing people familiar with the matter. The discussions are at an early stage, and no […] Read more

Chicago oats rally with Prairie rains, for now

CNS Canada — Oat prices at the Chicago Board of Trade have advanced as rain soaks Canada’s crops, but one U.S. analyst doesn’t expect those gains to hold. Close to half of Canada’s seeded oat area is in Saskatchewan, Statistics Canada data shows, and some parts of the province have seen heavy rains and flooding. […] Read more