Flea beetles in canola seedlings. (Canola Council of Canada video screengrab via YouTube)

Eastern Prairies’ wet conditions may curb insect pest risk

Late-seeded crops may germinate more quickly in warmer soils

MarketsFarm — If there could be one benefit to the excessive moisture across much of southern Manitoba and the Interlake region, that would be a potentially reduced risk for insect pests, according to John Gavloski, entomologist for Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Resource Development. For example, Gavloski cited flea beetles, which could damage canola. “If [canola] […] Read more

Stock photo of a grain grower in India. (Triloks/iStock/Getty Images)

India bans wheat exports as heat wave hurts crop, domestic prices soar

Ban could push global wheat prices to new peaks

Mumbai | Reuters — India banned wheat exports on Saturday days after saying it was targeting record shipments this year, as a scorching heat wave curtailed output and domestic prices hit a record high. The government said it would still allow exports backed by already issued letters of credit and to countries that request supplies […] Read more


A grain storage bin lay on a gravel road near Litchfield, Nebraska, about 230 km west of Lincoln, after high winds swept across the U.S. Great Plains and upper Midwest, in this still image from a social media video. (Kevin Fulton image via Reuters)

Dust storm, hurricane-force winds tear across U.S. upper Midwest

Chicago | Reuters — Hurricane-force winds tore across the U.S. upper Midwest Thursday evening, sending walls of dust across cities and rural towns, causing widespread property damage and killing at least two people. Straight-line winds up to 170 km/h reached from Kansas to Wisconsin, pushing waves of farmland topsoil across the horizon and plunging communities […] Read more




CBOT July 2022 soybeans (candlesticks) with Bollinger bands (20,2). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Soybeans, corn slide on Midwest weather forecasts

Wheat tumbles after rally, poised for weekly gain

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago corn and soybean futures slid on Friday as rising interest rates and currency pressures weighed on U.S. exports and forecasts of warm, dry weather opened a window for Midwestern farmers to get their crop planted. Recent rainfall in South America could boost Brazil’s south-central corn crop, which on Friday was […] Read more


A washout on Manitoba PR 240, about 60 km north of the U.S. border, on May 2, 2022. (Manitoba Co-operator photo by Alexis Stockford)

CBOT weekly outlook: U.S. spring wheat seeding near standstill

MarketsFarm — A succession of weather events has pretty much brought spring planting in North Dakota and Minnesota to a standstill, according to analyst Tom Lilja of Progressive Ag at Fargo, N.D. The weekly crop progress report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) estimated nationwide planting of spring wheat at 19 per cent complete […] Read more

File photo of flooded cropland in the RM of St. Andrews, north of Winnipeg. (Manitoba Co-operator photo)

Pulse weekly outlook: Wet weather delays southern Manitoba seeding

Soybeans could take yield hit if planted in June

MarketsFarm — Another blast of heavy precipitation across southern Manitoba, the third in as many weeks, has already delayed seeding for pulses, according to a production specialist. Laura Schmidt, a production specialist for Manitoba Pulse and Soybean Growers, said the 40 to 50 millimetres of rain across the region on April 29-30 all but guaranteed […] Read more


A combine unloads wheat on the outskirts of Ahmedabad in western India on March 16, 2022. (Photo: Reuters/Amit Dave)

Heat wave threatens India’s wheat output, export plans

Thin supplies, rising prices indicate lower output

New Delhi | Reuters — India’s wheat output looks likely to fall in 2022 after five consecutive years of record harvests, as a sharp, sudden rise in temperatures in mid-March cut crop yields in the world’s second-biggest producer of the grain. The drop could curb Indian exports of the staple. Cashing in on a rally […] Read more

Spring runoff on April 27, 2022 at the Pembina Escarpment near Miami, Man., about 40 km northwest of Winkler. (Manitoba Co-operator/Allan Dawson video screengrab)

Flood warnings raised in Manitoba, southeastern Saskatchewan

Flows could reach 2009 levels in Manitoba

MarketsFarm — Spring flooding in Manitoba’s Red River Valley could approach levels last seen in 2009, the highest water level since 1997’s “Flood of the Century,” according to the latest update from the provincial Hydrologic Forecast Centre. The centre is monitoring a precipitation system forecast for the April 29-May 1 weekend that is expected to […] Read more