Western Fair Opens Sept 5th and runs until the 14th, Its 139th Year with a Strong Agriculture Tradition

Smaller Crops Likely in StatsCan Survey-Based Report

Already small 2021 Canadian crops are likely to be revised even lower when Statistics Canada releases its final crop production report of the season on Friday. Prior reports in September and August were compiled using satellite imagery, with the December report the first of the year to utilize farmer surveys.

Old-Crop Canola Holds Gains as Crude Falls Back

Canola futures saw increases in the old-crop months on Wednesday, while new crop positions closed slightly lower. Support for edible oils from strong upticks in global crude oil prices evaporated by the close of the grain markets, which weakened edible oils.

The Maple Syrup Reserve: Serving its Purpose in a Time of High Demand

The substantial and ongoing growth of maple syrup sales and exports, combined with an average yield in the 2021 production season, has raised concerns in several media outlets about a potential shortage of supply. Québec Maple Syrup Producers (QMSP) wishes to reassure the public that demand, both domestic and international, will be met through the Global Strategic Maple Syrup Reserve. QMSP established its strategic maple syrup reserve in 2000 to respond to this exact situation. When production exceeds demand (as was the case in the two previous years), the surplus maple syrup is warehoused. Conversely, when the harvest is weaker than current demand (such as this year), the syrup stockpile is offered for sale to buyers. The Global Reserve is therefore serving its important purpose, ensuring a constant supply to the domestic and international markets, regardless the success of any single year's harvest. Furthermore, it stabilizes the product's price, eliminating variations caused by st

Canola Fails to Hang onto Early Gains

Canola futures pulled back on Monday, after rallying to new contract highs during the overnight session. Downward pressure came from the liquidation of the January contract as well as market concerns over the new Omicron strain of COVID-19. Losses in the Chicago soy complex and European rapeseed also weighed on values, while those for Malaysian palm oil were mixed.

Bringing robots to field crops

THE LATEST IN cutting-edge robotics is coming to a field near you — sooner than you think. A new team of in-field innovation enthusiasts have been working diligently over the past year to test, demonstrate, and troubleshoot robotic applications in a variety of Ontario crops, bringing the reality of robots within reach for farmers within this decade. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW • Each robot model tested was unique, with some powered by batteries and others by diesel. • Some robots struggled to work effectively in areas with heavy crop residue or cover crops. • Researchers note there are only a handful of working robotic units in North America, and since Ontario offers such a wide range of crops and growing conditions, we have the ideal environment for testing these systems. • Soil sampling is another task that autonomous robots could shoulder for farmers and agronomists.