Crops

Viterra responded to claims made by the Grain Services Union, which represents 436 of its employees, that the company did not fully pay a 4.5 percent wage increase, retroactive to January 1st, 2023, as part of a deal ratified by union members. A statement provided by a company spokesperson Monday afternoon said they “are surprised […]

The General and Grain Services Union, which represents 436 Viterra workers between Locals 1 & 2, appear to have a new bone to pick with the company. In a news release late Friday afternoon, GSU states when members of Locals 1 (Viterra Country Operations and Maintenance) and 2 (Viterra Regina Head Office) voted on Viterra’s […]

The pea leaf weevil (PLW) is a common pest of field peas and faba beans in its native Europe and represents a potential major threat to these crops in Saskatchewan. Although the entire pea-growing area of Saskatchewan is suitable for the establishment of this pest, establishment does not necessarily mean the insect will achieve pest […]

Drew Lerner of World Weather Inc. was the closing speaker at the Crossroads Crop Conference Wednesday in Calgary. Lerner provided some hope that 2024 will not be a serious drought year. Lerner examines a range of cycles and factors to make his growing season weather forecasts. His presentation is full of charts, graphs and maps. At […]

Changes are occurring in farm financing. At the Crossroads Crop Conference underway in Calgary, a lender highlighted some of the financing trends.  ATB Financial is a provincial body that lends primarily in Alberta, but Jonathan Neutons, ATB’s head of agriculture, addressed farm finance changes occurring across the prairies. One of the big changes has been […]

Producer payment security is not a top-of-mind issue for producers until suddenly a grain buyer runs into financial difficulty and they aren’t paid for their delivered grain. Even if you think this will never happen to you, the current system is still costing you money. There should be a better way. In simple terms, grain […]

Some call it a “mystery chickpea disease” while researchers refer to it as an “emerging health issue” The problem surfaced in 2019 in the Gravelbourg, Assiniboia and Coronach regions of southern Saskatchewan.  It reappeared again the following year. Both those years featured early dry conditions followed by a big dump of rain.   Chickpea plants had […]

A private member’s bill that would provide relief for Canadian farmers from the federal carbon tax, on natural gas and propane used for grain drying, will likely dominate discussion on Parliament Hill as MP’s and Senators return to work Monday following the holiday break. Before the break, members of the Senate passed two amendments to […]

The seeded acreages for flax and mustard are expected to drop dramatically this spring while large acreage increases are expected for oats, chickpeas and lentils.  Meanwhile, the price of almost every grain, oilseed and specialty crop is expected to drop, and in some cases, the declines are large. The projections are in the latest outlook by […]

Here is a look at your Closing Grain Prices for January 23: Durum 447.6 = Feed Barley 242.58 = Canola 601.22 -0.9 Chickpeas 1168.44 = Flax 591.04 = Lentils 777.5 = Oats 290.32 = Yellow Peas 466.38 = Feed Wheat 238.46 = One Red Spring Wheat 320.49 -3.27