* Farmer selling backed off modestly, keeping commercial hedges light - trader. * Front month March traded in tight $5 range, with inter-month spreading a key feature. * March canola gained $4.10 to $529.60 a tonne on volume of 11,906 contracts. Touched $530.60, highest price for the nearby contract since Jan. 24. * May rose $3.70 to $533.10 on volume of 8,459 contracts. * March-May spread traded 6,778 times, settling at a May premium of $3.50. * Chicago March soybeans added 1/2 US cent to US$12.33 per bushel. March soyoil gained 0.51 cent to 52.16 US cents per lb. * MATIF May rapeseed gained 0.4 percent. * The Canadian dollar was trading at $0.9961 against the US dollar or US$1.0038 at 1:14 p.m. CST (1914 GMT), down from Friday's close at $0.9936 versus the US dollar, or US$1.0064. * US crude oil futures slipped 1 percent to US$96.91 per barrel. * Plant closures seen in EU biodiesel sector. * Canadian Wheat Board to look at canola.