File photo of Rabobank’s office building in Utrecht. (Rabobank.com)

Rabobank to offer Canadian farm-level lending

Dutch co-operative bank's Canadian arm to loan directly to farmers, starting on Prairies

Updated — A global financing firm operating at higher altitudes in Canada’s food and agrifood sector now plans to expand its business down to the farm and ranch level. The Canadian arm of Rabobank — an Amsterdam-based farmer co-operative lender, providing banking, leasing and real estate services in more than 38 countries — announced Tuesday […] Read more

CBOT March 2023 oats with 20- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

Oats face an uncertain year

Reduced acres expected in 2023

MarketsFarm — When comparing oat prices at the start of 2023 compared to one year ago, they appear to be night and day. Despite modest price increases over the past month, some western Canadian oat bids are less than half of what they were last year. In Alberta, the high-delivered bid for oats as of […] Read more


Flooding from the Salinas River forces the closure of a road at Salinas, California on Jan. 12, 2023. (Photo: Reuters/Nathan Frandino)

California picks up debris from latest storm, braces for next

Also: Why all this rain won't end California's drought

Sacramento | Reuters — Rain-soaked Californians took advantage of a break in a weeks-long deluge to haul away dead trees, restore downed power lines and prepare new stacks of sandbags before another series of storms hits the state beginning Friday. In Monterey County along the state’s central coast, communities near the still-rising Salinas River were […] Read more

CBOT March 2023 corn with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Corn, soybeans surge after USDA cuts 2022 harvest view

Brazil's CONAB projects big corn crop, record soy crop

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn and soybean futures rallied on Thursday after the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) unexpectedly cut its 2022 harvest estimates for both crops, which would mean smaller-than-expected supplies. Wheat futures gained on spillover support from rising corn and soy. Traders largely shrugged off USDA’s larger-than-anticipated winter wheat crop acreage estimate […] Read more


A drone photo from the Sampona commune of Madagascar on Feb. 11, 2022, shows Zebu cattle drinking water from a large puddle created from Cyclone Batsirai. The island nation’s south has been experiencing severe drought for the past four years, putting it in danger of what the World Food Programme calls “the world’s first climate change famine.” (Photo: Reuters/Alkis Konstantinidis)

Last year tied as world’s fifth-warmest on record, U.S. scientists say

Global CO2 emissions continue to rise

Brussels | Reuters — Last year was the world’s joint fifth-warmest on record and the last nine years were the nine warmest since pre-industrial times, putting the 2015 Paris Agreement’s goal to limit global warming to 1.5 C in serious jeopardy, U.S. scientists said on Thursday. Last year tied with 2015 as the fifth-warmest year […] Read more

CBOT March 2023 soft red winter wheat with 20-day moving average (green line), MGEX March 2023 hard red spring wheat (yellow line) and K.C. March 2023 hard red winter wheat (orange line). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Futures firm ahead of USDA crop data

Wheat up on technicals, short covering; corn mixed, soybeans firm on Argentine drought concerns

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat futures firmed on Wednesday as a drop to 15-month lows in the previous session sparked technical buying and short covering, and as traders took positions ahead of key U.S. government crop reports, traders said. Corn was mixed and soybeans edged higher, underpinned by concerns about weather-reduced crops in South […] Read more


(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Feed weekly outlook: Corn imports still weigh on domestic feed market

MarketsFarm — Ample corn imports from the U.S. continue to keep the western Canadian feed grain market under pressure, with barley bids in Lethbridge trending lower through the early days of 2023. “We started the year with cash barley trading at roughly $450 (per tonne) in Lethbridge, it’s since declined to roughly $435,” said Jim […] Read more

Photo: iStock/Getty Images

Mintec acquires Agribriefing to expand agrifood data offering

Paris | Reuters — British market intelligence firm Mintec announced on Tuesday the acquisition of Agribriefing in a deal it said would create a leading global provider of data on agricultural and food markets. Financial details were not disclosed. Agribriefing’s businesses include protein price-reporting agency Urner Barry and crop consultancy Strategie Grains, the latter acquired […] Read more


Bayer’s cross symbol hangs in a terminal at Frankfurt International Airport. (Typhoonski/iStock Editorial/Getty Images)

Activist investor reported building stake in Bayer, seeking breakup

Bayer up for 'constructive dialogue'

Reuters — Activist investor Bluebell Capital Partners has built a stake in Bayer AG and is pushing for a breakup of the German pharmaceutical and agriculture company, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday, citing sources. U.K.-based Bluebell is also seeking an overhaul of Bayer’s corporate governance, the report added. A Bayer spokesperson, who declined to comment on […] Read more

CBOT March 2023 corn with 20-, 30- and 50-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Corn up off three-week lows on technicals, Argentine drought

Wheat sinks to 15-month low on weak U.S. exports; soybeans also down

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn futures ended mixed on Tuesday after a technical and bargain-buying bounce from three-week lows faded as dull demand for U.S. exports overshadowed concerns about Argentina’s drought-reduced harvest. Soybeans ended mostly lower while wheat fell to its lowest in 15 months on good global supplies and weak demand for U.S. […] Read more