
Weather

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

U.S. EPA allows temporary summer sales of higher-ethanol fuel
Waiver seen as score for corn growers
New York | Reuters — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued an emergency waiver for a higher-ethanol gasoline blend on Friday, allowing summertime sales of the fuel in an attempt to help lower gasoline prices at the pump. The move represents a temporary win for the biofuels industry and corn farmers, as it will likely […] Read more

U.S. grains: Wheat futures fall after rains
Chicago soybeans, corn flat
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat futures fell to three-week lows on Friday, led by hard red winter wheat contracts after showers in key growing parts of the U.S. Plains provided a much needed boost to soil moisture, traders said. Corn futures ended unchanged after spiking to their highest in nearly 10 years for the […] Read more

AgriStability enrolment deadline extended for 2022
Two-month extension in place for fourth year in a row
The deadline for Canadian farmers to enroll in AgriStability has been extended for two months — making 2022 the fourth year in a row with a enrolment deadline bump for the farm income stabilization program. The enrolment deadline without penalty for the 2022 program year was previously scheduled for this Saturday, April 30, but is […] Read more

StatsCan predicts more Canadian wheat acres, less canola in 2022
Lentil, corn, soy acres are also expected up from 2021, barley down
MarketsFarm — Canada’s farmers intend to seed more acres to wheat and less to canola in 2022, according to the first survey-based estimates from Statistics Canada for the upcoming crop year released Tuesday. Canola area is forecast at 20.9 million acres by the government agency, which would be down by seven per cent from the […] Read more

Not warm enough yet for accurate read on Ontario winter crops
MarketsFarm –– The crop report on Wednesday from Ontario’s ministry of agriculture, food and rural affairs (OMAFRA) notes a lack of temperatures warm enough to accurately assess winter crops and/or to begin spring planting. OMAFRA determined winter wheat that was seeded on time looks healthier than what was planted later in the fall. Also, water […] Read more

Brazil’s changing conditions threaten corn crop
MarketsFarm — Over the last three to four weeks growing conditions in Brazil have pulled a complete reversal — and that poses a serious threat to the country’s corn crop, according to Dr. Michael Cordonnier of Soybean and Corn Advisor Inc. The southern half of the country is now faced with wet conditions, while the […] Read more

Drought severity easing across much of Prairies, AAFC reports
MarketsFarm — Drought conditions persisted across much of the Prairies during the month of March, although the extent and severity of the dryness was reduced in many areas, according to the latest Drought Monitor report from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC). “While there have been substantial improvements to drought conditions across Western Canada since last […] Read more

Supply chain improvement funds pledged in federal budget
Money also added for support of TFWs, P.E.I. potato sector
The federal government’s release last week of its Emissions Reduction Plan has turned out to be the spoiler for new ag funding in Thursday’s 2022 budget — although more money is also pledged to help strengthen cross-country supply chains generally. Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland on Thursday laid out a federal budget with about $452.3 billion […] Read more

Food, farming, forestry must be transformed to curb global warming, UN says
Earlier draft of panel report called for reduced intake of meat
Reuters — Protecting forests, changing diets, and altering farming methods could contribute around a quarter of the greenhouse gas cuts needed to avert the worst impacts of climate change, according to the United Nations’ climate panel. But the changes are unlikely to happen unless governments act to spur them along, the report from the Intergovernmental […] Read more