Hursh Comment

The precipitation maps published by Agriculture Canada are widely used, but here’s a case that makes you wonder about the accuracy. Since the end of October, the maps show that Regina has had normal to a bit below normal precipitation. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s National Agroclimate Information Service is also cited as the source for …

Well-known Saskatchewan cattleman, Roy Rutledge who has long run the Assiniboia Livestock Auction spoke yesterday in Edmonton to a meeting of Ag Service Boards. Roy has some definite opinions on cattle traceability and what he says makes a lot of sense. We’re developing a high-priced livestock traceability system based upon individual cattle ID that uses …

Cattle prices have started 2011 with a bang. Sandy Russell of Spring Creek Consulting details the price rise in her latest newsletter. Fed steer prices in Western Canada have increased to around a dollar a pound. Last year at this time they were under 80 cents. Steer calves in the 500 to 600 pound weight …

What does last year’s flooding mean to soil nitrogen levels? Viterra did a bunch of soil sampling in the fall to compare flooded versus non-flooded parts of fields and they’ve summarized the data to come up with some conclusions. On fields where a crop was seeded and some of the crop was subsequently flooded out, …

What’s your risk tolerance? Given the choice between a deferred delivery contract and a contract with an Act of God clause how much money would you forego to get the Act of God protection? Here’s a specific example. There are new crop canaryseed deferred delivery contracts available at 25 cents a pound and there are …

Here are a few market outlook tidbits from Crop Production Week. Bruce Burnett, the director of weather and market analysis for the Canadian Wheat Board says durum is about to reestablish its traditional premium over spring wheat. Durum has been at a discount the past couple years. Burnett says that over the next two to …

Alberta farmers are finally growing some lentils. The numbers are contained in the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture’s Specialty Crop Report which has just been published. In 2010, Alberta had 140,000 acres of lentils, up from only 45,000 acres in 2009. In the years previous to 2009, the stats show virtually no lentils in Alberta. At …

Drew Lerner with World Weather Incorporated out of Topeka, Kansas spoke last night to over 500 people attending the Special Session of Crop Production Week in Saskatoon. There were lots of charts and graphs and weather theories, but there were also take home messages from the presentation. Lerner predicts cool weather in the early spring …

Market analysts are expecting Canadian pea and lentil acreage to drop this year. Saskatchewan Pulse Growers had market outlook panels yesterday at Pulse Days, held as part of Crop Production Week in Saskatoon. For yellow peas, the analysts noted that some new crop contracts are available at $6 a bushel, but that just doesn’t cut …

Don’t underestimate the competition for acres that’s going to occur. That advice came yesterday from Marlene Boersch of Mercantile Consulting Venture as she presented a market outlook for canaryseed at Crop Production Week in Saskatoon. Today, Marlene is on the market outlook panel for lentils. She says growers have power in the current market environment …

Forgive the corny analogy, but in many ways, Crop Production Week and the corresponding Western Canadian Crop Production Show can be likened to a baseball game. Thousands of producers are flocking to the trade show and to the meetings in Saskatoon this week just like the crowds gather for a ball game. Nine months from …

One of the highlights of Crop Production Week will be hearing Drew Lerner of World Weather Inc. out of Topeka, Kansas. His weather forecasts have gained quite a following in Western Canada. On Monday afternoon at the SaskFlax meeting, Drew Lerner will address the world weather outlook for flax. On Wednesday evening at the Crop …