Corn seedlings in southern Ontario in 2021. (Farmtario photo by John Greig)

Spring planting well underway in Ontario

MarketsFarm — Farmers are well into seeding their crops for 2022, according to Wednesday’s crop report from Ontario’s Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA). The report noted planting of corn, soybeans and spring cereals started late last week — the exception being where there are heavier soils. OMAFRA projected planting could be 80 […] Read more

(Lightguard/iStock/Getty Images)

Seeding already behind in Saskatchewan

MarketsFarm — Saskatchewan Agriculture on Thursday issued its first weekly crop report of 2022, showing only one per cent of all crops in the ground. The report cited cool temperatures and spring snowstorms holding back many farmers getting into their fields. The overall five-year average at this time of year is five per cent complete. […] Read more

CBOT March 2021 wheat with Bollinger (20,2) bands. (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Wheat retreats after cold-weather rally

Corn, soy futures consolidate

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat futures fell two per cent on Wednesday, retreating from a two-week high set in early moves, as concerns eased about cold-weather damage following a frigid weekend in the U.S. Plains, analysts said. Corn futures firmed slightly, consolidating below multi-year highs established last week, and soybean futures closed mixed. A […] Read more

K.C. April 2021 hard red winter wheat with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Weather worries push wheat futures higher

Soybeans firm, corn slips

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat futures rose on Friday, supported by concerns that arctic temperatures in key growing areas could damage the dormant crop during the weekend, traders said. “Cold temperatures, chiefly domestically, lesser so abroad, will keep the wheat trade watching winterkill prospects over the weekend,” Matt Zeller, director of market information at […] Read more

CBOT March 2021 soybeans with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Soybeans end lower, after rising on demand optimism

U.S. winter wheat threatened by cold weather

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures ended lower on Friday after trading higher earlier on expectations of continued export demand eating into already tight U.S. stocks. Corn futures traded slightly lower as traders assessed mixed crop prospects in South America, while wheat ticked up slightly on fears of winterkill across the U.S. southern Plains […] Read more


Red clover is one option to plant for forage, but its challenge is volume and drydown time.

Finding alternative forage options to alfalfa

High alfalfa winterkill levels this spring led growers to consider other species to get enough feed

High winterkill in forage this spring meant farmers looked for other species to provide feed for livestock. OMAFRA forage and grazing specialist Christine O’Reilly and University of Guelph forage research technician Donna Hancock took the opportunity to review some different forage options at the FarmSmart Expo at the Elora Research Station in July. Why it […] Read more

(File photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Forage supplies starting to dip on dry Prairies

CNS Canada — Forage supplies are starting to dwindle across Western Canada following a long, cold, winter and rain is needed soon to make for a good forage crop this year. “People tended to kind of blend hay this year and they managed to get through. But the prolonged cold spring really I think put […] Read more

Mature winter wheat. (Allan Dawson photo)

Prairie winter wheat conditions no cause for alarm, yet

CNS Canada — While it’s been a cold winter with little snow cover, there is still hope for the Prairies’ winter wheat crop as soil temperatures haven’t hit danger levels yet. “I checked the soil temperatures this morning across the Prairies and most of the soils are about -10 C and winter wheat at this […] Read more


The Mississippi River. (Mark D. Tomer photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

New Year’s Day cold snap to hit U.S. winter wheat, rivers

Chicago | Reuters — A New Year’s Day cold snap in the southern U.S. Plains poses a threat to winter wheat, particularly in Kansas, the country’s biggest producer of the grain, agricultural meteorologists said. Farmers in Kansas grow hard red winter (HRW) wheat, the largest U.S. wheat class that typically is milled into flour for […] Read more

(Scott Bauer photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

U.S. grains: Soybeans fall to four-month low

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago soybean futures fell more than one per cent and neared a four-month low Thursday on improving crop prospects in Brazil that could curb demand for U.S. soy exports, traders said. Corn and wheat futures also declined in thin trade between the Christmas and New Year’s Day holidays. Chicago Board of […] Read more