Lentil acreage a surprise

The large amount of lentils seeded in Western Canada, as per Statistics Canada’s latest acreage report, came as a surprise to market participants who had generally expected to see a downward revision. The federal statistics agency on Wednesday estimated lentil area at 2.61 million acres, which compares to 2.46 million acres in the April 2012 […] Read more


StatsCan’s canola acres no surprise to trade

Statistics Canada’s latest seeded acreage report shows a record canola area that comes as no surprise to most market participants as it fell within their expectations. "I don’t think it was a surprise that canola acres really slipped across 21 million acres," said Ron Frost, a veteran analyst with Frost Forecast Consulting in Calgary. "The […] Read more

Higher canola acreage expected in StatsCan report

Statistics Canada’s latest planting survey report, due out Wednesday, is expected to show increased canola acreage compared to the agency’s April report, despite the loss of some seeded area due to heavy rains across the Prairies. "They’ll probably show higher canola acres because their survey took place prior to the worst of the rains coming," […] Read more

Pork exports seen up despite weak Korean demand

Demand for Canadian pork products from South Korea may be slowing down, but the total volume of exports is still expected to remain steady, to slightly higher in calendar year 2012. South Korea imported a lot of Canadian pork products in 2011 following that country’s outbreak of foot and mouth disease — but it’s not […] Read more


New-crop Prairie lentils seeing weak demand

New-crop demand for Canadian lentils has been extremely light as foreign investors are waiting for the weather situation across the Prairies to stabilize before getting more involved, an industry official said. "The only business that’s going on right now is with people who have to buy. Otherwise they’re sitting on the sidelines because there’s really […] Read more

Rye export interest picking up

Domestic demand for Canadian rye has been flat for the last five to 10 years, but strong export interest for the commodity is seen to be keeping the industry afloat. Local demand hasn’t been more than steady because as the Canadian population ages, they seem to be drinking less beer and liquor, said John Pauch, […] Read more

Ag Canada pulse/special crop supply forecasts unchanged

The production of Canada’s major pulse and special crop supply was unchanged from the previous month, according to updated supply/demand tables released by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Market Analysis Division on June 14. All numbers from the June 14 report were unchanged from the previous report. However, Canadian producers are expected to increase seeded are […] Read more



Warm spring brings more insects to Prairies

A warm spring across the Prairies is bringing larger insect populations to crop-growing regions this season. Manitoba and Alberta canola crops are seeing increasing populations of flea beetles this spring. The insects feed on multiple parts of the plant and can be very damaging for canola in its early development stages. Both provinces have already […] Read more