
Weather

Beef producers call for drought and wildfire relief
With provincial, territorial and federal ag ministers meeting this afternoon to discuss the drought gripping Western Canada and Ontario, the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association and its provincial counterparts are requesting “urgent government action on drought and wildfire relief measures.” “Without timely and targeted assistance from federal and provincial governments, beef producers will be forced to make […] Read more

Saskatchewan raises salvage threshold for parched crops
Stock watering program also boosted; APAS, Tories' ag critic had called for more drought aid
Saskatchewan’s provincial crop insurance agency is raising the yield threshold at which drought-damaged crops can be grazed, baled for greenfeed or cut for silage with no penalty on future coverage. Saskatchewan Crop Insurance Corp. said Wednesday it would double the “low yield appraisal” threshold values on cereal or pulse crop acres put to feed. SCIC […] Read more

U.S. grains: Corn, soybeans up on weather worries
MGEX, CBOT September wheats also gain
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn and soybean futures hit their highest in nearly two weeks on Wednesday as forecasts called for dry weather in the Midwest crop belt next week and continued dryness in the northern Plains, threatening crop prospects, analysts said. Chicago Board of Trade December corn settled up 18 cents at $5.58-3/4 […] Read more

Saskatchewan ranchers backed for runoff control
Funding on offer for earth-moving work
Cow-calf producers in Saskatchewan may be able to get cost-shared funds from the federal/provincial Farm Stewardship Program to build ponds, ditches, dikes or berms to collect or manage runoff. The province and federal government on Tuesday announced such work now qualifies as a beneficial management practice (BMP) covered under the program. Eligible beef cow-calf producers […] Read more

U.S. grains: Wheat futures rally after U.S. slashes harvest estimates
Agency raises U.S. corn crop forecast from June
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat futures climbed on Monday on lower-than-expected production estimates for domestic crops damaged by searing weather and drought, analysts said. Corn and soybean futures also jumped. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, in a monthly report, slashed its harvest outlook for spring wheat other than durum by 41 per cent from […] Read more

CN, CP trains ordered to slow down against fire risk
Ministerial order in effect until Oct. 31
A new federal ministerial order calls for Canada’s big two railways to significantly cut their train speeds in any areas deemed to be at an “extreme” fire risk. “With extreme weather events occurring more severely and frequently in Canada due to climate change, it is important to have an adaptive regulatory system that responds to […] Read more

Anthrax kills southeastern Saskatchewan sheep
Spores forced up by changes in soil moisture
Dramatic shifts in soil moisture are again bringing anthrax spores to the surface on the Prairies, this time in a southeastern Saskatchewan sheep pasture. Lab results on Wednesday confirmed anthrax as the cause of death of one animal in a flock of sheep in the R.M. of South Qu’Appelle, about 50 km east of Regina, […] Read more

U.S. grains: Rain pushes corn to 12 per cent weekly drop
Soybeans, wheat hesitant as dry northern U.S. still a concern
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago corn futures dipped on Friday, losing 12 per cent for the week as rain and moderate temperatures were expected to boost U.S. Midwest crops. Wheat followed lower, but was propped up by drier conditions across the northern U.S. Plains, while soybeans inched higher on long-term forecasts returning to hot, dry […] Read more

U.S. grains: Soybeans, corn fall on cool, wet forecast
Wheat supported by dryness in northern Plains
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago soybean futures ended lower on Thursday, pressured by cool, rainy forecasts across the U.S. growing belt, though dryness in the upper Midwest continues to threaten developing crops. Corn eased as beneficial rains aided crops entering pollination, while wheat firmed as sparse moisture reached drought-hit spring wheat regions. The most-active soybean […] Read more

ICE weekly outlook: Expensive canola required
MarketsFarm — Canada’s coming canola harvest, if lower than projected, would add tremendous pressure to prices as supplies could become much tighter than they have, according to trader Ken Ball with PI Financial in Winnipeg. Ball believes the 2021-22 canola harvest could be as low as 16 million to 17 million tonnes, well below the […] Read more