File photo of a pea crop south of Ethelton, Sask. on Aug. 1, 2019. (Dave Bedard photo)

Pulse weekly outlook: StatsCan’s pea, chickpea acres short of trade expectations

MarketsFarm — Numbers were seen as disappointing for dry peas and chickpeas in Statistics Canada’s survey-based principal field crop planting projections released Tuesday. The federal agency predicted 3.839 million acres seeded for dry peas nationwide, nearly a 10 per cent decline compared to last year. By comparison, MarketsFarm projected 4.38 million acres while Agriculture and […] Read more

(Dave Bedard photo)

More canola, less wheat expected ahead of StatsCan report

'Returns per acre are just so much stronger'

MarketsFarm — Canadian farmers are seen as likely to plant more canola and barley and less wheat this spring, as market participants await the first survey-based estimates from Statistics Canada on Tuesday to confirm the extent of that shift. “Canola will gain acres and wheat will lose acres,” said MarketsFarm Pro analyst Mike Jubinville, pointing […] Read more

(iStock photo)

Pulse weekly outlook: Slight increase in lentil acres likely

Increase 'won't be as big as people think'

MarketsFarm — Lentil acres are likely to increase slightly when farmers take to planting this spring, according to Marlene Boersch of Mercantile Consulting Venture Inc. in Winnipeg. The pulse industry will get a better idea of what will be going into the ground over the coming weeks on April 27, when Statistics Canada releases its […] Read more

ICE May 2021 canola with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

ICE weekly outlook: Canola still finding support

U.S. acreage estimates could sway futures

MarketsFarm — The ICE Futures canola market saw some wide price swings over the week ended Wednesday, dropping by more than $50 per tonne off its contract highs in the nearby May contract before recovering to trade just a few dollars off of those levels once again. Tight canola supplies, strength in world vegetable oil […] Read more

(Dave Bedard photo)

StatsCan confirms canola stocks tightening

Wheat stocks also down from previous year-end

MarketsFarm — Solid demand from exporters and domestic crushers continues to eat rapidly through Canada’s canola stocks, which as of Dec. 31 were down nearly 24 per cent from the same date a year earlier, according to new data released Friday from Statistics Canada. The government agency pegged total canola stocks in the country as […] Read more


Having an off-farm job is a choice for many people, as it should be for those who wish it.

Editorial: Stop worrying about off-farm income

Supplementing farm income some way is now the normal practice

It’s that time the agriculture stops worrying about off-farm income. The amount of income earned in a farming family but not made from the farm operation has been discussed often for decades. The main reason we know about off-farm income is it is measured and reported by Statistics Canada. With about 98 per cent of […] Read more

ICE January 2021 canola with Bollinger (20,2) bands and 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

ICE weekly outlook: Canola entering holiday mode

MarketsFarm — ICE Futures canola contracts hit fresh multi-year highs following the release of updated production data from Statistics Canada, but the market ran into resistance and could be expected to see some consolidation ahead of the New Year. The most-active January contract touched a session high of $599 per tonne on Friday last week, […] Read more

(File photo)

Feed weekly outlook: Export demand supports prices

MarketsFarm — Feed grain prices remain strong into the winter, due to steady feedlot demand and solid export activity. Brandon Motz of CorNine Commodities at Lacombe, Alta. said feedlots have freed up some pen space after COVID-19 shutdowns created backlogs, but demand remained steady. “There’s more pen space in southern Alberta, compared to other years,” […] Read more


CBOT January 2021 soybeans (candlesticks) with 20-day moving average (green line) and CBOT January 2021 soyoil (black line). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Soybeans up one per cent as soyoil climbs

Corn up; wheat declines on global supply outlooks

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures rose about one per cent on Thursday, rallying on bargain buying after a two-week low set a day earlier and on uncertainty about South American crop prospects, traders said. Soybeans also drew support from strength in soybean oil futures, which advanced about two per cent on news of […] Read more

Canola south of Ethelton, Sask. on Aug. 3, 2017. (Dave Bedard photo)

Canada’s canola harvest smallest in five years

Wheat crop a bin-buster, StatsCan report finds

Winnipeg | Reuters — Canadian farmers produced the smallest canola crop in five years, but the largest wheat output since 2013, Statistics Canada said in its final harvest estimate of the year. Canola production looked set to reach 18.7 million tonnes, down 4.5 per cent from last year and below trade expectations. It was a […] Read more