CBOT March 2022 corn (candlesticks) with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages (yellow, orange and dark green lines). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Corn, soy sag on South America weather forecasts

Argentina rain outlook tempers crop fears

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn and soybean futures tumbled on Thursday on expectations that rains forecast for dry crop-growing areas of South America may limit harvest losses, traders said. Weather forecasts show parched areas of Argentina, the world’s top exporter of processed soy and No. 2 producer of corn, may receive significant rainfall from […] Read more

Seeding in southwestern Manitoba in the spring of 2021. (Manitoba Co-operator file photo by Alexis Stockford)

Last year was world’s sixth-warmest on record, U.S. scientists say

Heat content of oceans at record level, NOAA says

Reuters — Last year ranked as the sixth-warmest year on record, causing extreme weather events around the world and adding to evidence supporting the globe’s long-term warming, according to an analysis on Thursday by two U.S. government agencies. The data compiled by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and NASA also revealed that […] Read more


Sea surface temperature anomalies over the equatorial Pacific Ocean for the week centred on Jan. 5, 2022. (CPC.ncep.noaa.gov)

La Niña likely to continue into spring, U.S. forecaster says

Reuters — La Nina conditions are likely to continue during the Northern Hemisphere spring, a U.S. government weather forecaster said on Thursday. The La Niña weather pattern, characterized by unusually cold temperatures in the equatorial Pacific Ocean, has a 67 per cent chance of persisting from March through May this year, the National Weather Service’s […] Read more

A view near the Canadian end of the Ambassador Bridge, which connects Windsor and Detroit and is considered one of North America’s busiest trade routes. (Steven_Kriemadis/iStock/Getty Images)

Cross-border supply chains still may face disruptions from vaccine mandates

CLARIFIED, Jan. 13 — Ottawa/Washington | Reuters — COVID-19 vaccine requirements for foreign truckers at the U.S.-Canada border still could cause supply-chain disruptions if both countries do not decide to allow exemptions, the head of the Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA) said Thursday. Canadian truck drivers who aren’t vaccinated may enter Canada by right — but […] Read more



(OceanFishing/iStock/Getty Images)

CBOT weekly outlook: ‘No fireworks’ in January USDA reports

MarketsFarm — Updated supply/demand data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture were slightly bearish for grains and relatively neutral for soybeans, although there were no real surprises, according to an analyst. “There were no fireworks out of this report,” said Terry Reilly of Futures International in Chicago. World numbers put some pressure on wheat futures, […] Read more


CBOT March 2022 wheat (candlesticks) with K.C. March 2022 wheat (yellow line) and MGEX March 2022 wheat (green line, left column). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Wheat futures fall on bigger-than-expected plantings, stocks

Winter wheat plantings exceed analysts' expectations; USDA also cuts corn, soybean crop estimates in South America

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat futures extended losses on Wednesday after the U.S. Department of Agriculture projected that domestic farmers planted more acres than traders anticipated. Larger-than-expected USDA estimates for wheat inventories added pressure on the market, analysts said, after supply concerns drove Chicago Board of Trade futures prices to nine-year highs in November. […] Read more

File photo of an Ontario cherry orchard. (UpdogDesigns/iStock/Getty Images)

Ontario to extend labour-related crop loss coverage

Losses due to COVID-19-related labour disruptions covered

A temporary crop insurance expansion that covers Ontario farms against crop losses due to “on-farm labour disruptions” caused by COVID-19 will be held over for yet another year. Agricorp, the province’s farm program delivery agency, announced in late December the feature first introduced in 2020 will be included again in 2022, at the same coverage […] Read more


CBOT March 2022 wheat (candlesticks) with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages (yellow, orange and dark green lines) and K.C. March 2022 wheat (blue line). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Wheat up on export business

Corn, soy firm ahead of USDA data

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat futures rose about one per cent on Tuesday on a pickup in global export business and short-covering ahead of several key U.S. Department of Agriculture reports due on Wednesday, traders said. Corn and soybean futures edged higher ahead of the reports, which will include updated estimates of U.S. 2021 […] Read more

(Dave Bedard photo)

U.S. aims to double cover crop planting to address climate change

Farmers in 11 states to be eligible for program

Chicago | Reuters — The United States aims to double the country’s cover crop plantings to 30 million acres by 2030 under a new Department of Agriculture (USDA) conservation program launched on Monday. The agency’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) will spend US$38 million to help farmers in 11 states plant crops at a time […] Read more