Already facing federally mandated phase-outs from many major on-farm uses in Canada over risks to aquatic insects, neonicotinoids aren’t expected to pose “unacceptable risks” to pollinators when used on canola seed or hothouse vegetables in the meantime. Health Canada said as much Thursday as it released its final re-evaluation decisions for three neonic pesticides — […] Read more

Neonic-treated canola not an ‘unacceptable risk’ for pollinators

U.S. grains: Corn, soy up a bit on weather woes, trade hopes
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn and soybean futures closed higher on Wednesday on light technical buying as a blizzard bore down on portions of the Plains and Midwest, threatening to delay plantings, analysts said. Wheat futures fell, recording a fifth straight lower close, as traders focused on plentiful world supplies. Chicago Board of Trade […] Read more

U.S. grains: Wheat pressured by ample global stockpiles
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat futures fell to a one-week low on Tuesday, pressured by improving U.S. yield prospects and rising global stockpiles, analysts said, while nearby U.S. corn and soybean futures finished unchanged. Chicago Board of Trade May wheat settled down 5-3/4 cents at $4.59-1/2 per bushel after dipping to a one-week low […] Read more

USDA to adjust format of monthly supply/demand report
Chicago | Reuters — The U.S. Department of Agriculture will revise its monthly world supply and demand crop reports starting in May to try to account for the outsized role of China’s global grain stocks, a government official said on Tuesday, confirming a note on a USDA website. Starting with its May 10 report, the […] Read more

Canada looks at fresh tariffs on U.S. goods
Ottawa | Reuters — Canada is looking at ways to boost the effectiveness of its retaliatory tariffs against the United States, Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland said on Tuesday, but did not address remarks by a senior official who revealed what Ottawa might do. Canada imposed tariffs on $16.6 billion worth of U.S. exports in May […] Read more

Canada gearing up to slap more tariffs on U.S. imports
Canada will update its list of U.S. imports, including farm products, on which it will place tariffs in retaliation to U.S. tariffs on imported Canadian steel and aluminum, David MacNaughton, Canada’s ambassador to the United States, said Monday. “The intention… is not to escalate anything but simply to do what we said we’d do — […] Read more

Midwest floods hammer U.S. ethanol industry
New York | Reuters — The March floods that punished the U.S. Midwest have roiled the ethanol industry, hammering prices and trapping barrels in the country’s interior while the U.S. coasts suffer from shortages of the biofuel. The historic March floods have dealt a series of blows to large swaths of an ethanol industry that […] Read more

U.S. grains: Corn ends lower ahead of USDA monthly data
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn futures declined on Monday as traders adjusted positions a day ahead of a monthly supply-and-demand report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture in which the government is expected to raise its forecast of U.S. corn ending stocks. Wheat also fell, while soybeans ended nearly unchanged after a choppy session. […] Read more

U.S. grains: Corn, soy, wheat fall on profit-taking but post weekly gains
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures dropped on Friday as uncertainty about the timing and details of a potential trade deal with China caused investors to lock in some profits from recent gains, traders said. End-of-week profit-taking also weighed on the corn and wheat markets. The drop in corn futures was kept in check […] Read more

Tillage tools quickly becoming seeding tools
There are now many options to add cover crop seeding boxes to tillage equipment
As cover crops have increased in popularity, farmers are finding creative ways to plant them. For many farmers that has meant finding a way to get a seeder box onto a tillage implement of some kind. Why it matters: Cover crops can increase available nutrients, water and organic matter and reduce soil erosion over winter. […] Read more