CBOT July 2021 soybeans (candlesticks) with 20- and 100-day moving averages (light and dark green lines) and CBOT May 2021 soyoil (yellow high/low/close and left column). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Soybeans reach highest since 2012 on supply woes

Corn, wheat down on WASDE report

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures set an 8-1/2-year high on Wednesday after a key U.S. government crop report projected that supplies of the oilseed would remain tight even after the 2021 U.S. harvest. Soaring CBOT soybean oil futures lent support, with the thinly traded May soyoil contract reaching 72.32 cents/lb., an all-time high […] Read more

In a range of crops last year, dingy and redback cutworms were a widespread problem in Manitoba and may continue to be an issue this year. In Saskatchewan, farmers should be on the lookout for redback and pale western cutworms.

Insect pests to watch for in 2021

Provincial experts discuss top pest threats for your region and offer tips for scouting

It’s easy for farmers to get “scouted out.” Between crop diseases, destructive crop insects and simply checking for yield and growth stage, scouting can be a full-time job in and of itself. Knowing what to focus on can help. Experts across the Prairies are weighing in on the most likely insect threats for the 2021 […] Read more


CBOT July 2021 corn with Bollinger (20,2) bands. (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Soy futures top $16 for first time since 2012

Chicago corn, wheat also end higher

Chicago | Reuters — Benchmark U.S. soybean futures jumped above US$16 a bushel on Tuesday for the first time since 2012 as traders focused on tightening feed grain supplies and dry weather in Brazil’s corn belt, traders said. Corn and wheat futures also posted sharp gains, with nearby contracts leading the way up. A weaker […] Read more

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Drought Monitor map for the Prairie provinces as of April 30, 2021. (AAFC)

‘Extreme drought’ expands in Prairies

Southern Manitoba, southeastern Saskatchewan parched

MarketsFarm — The newly released map from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Canadian Drought Monitor (CDM) shows the Prairies’ ongoing drought getting worse. According to AAFC’s nationwide map released on Friday, southwestern Manitoba, parts of southern Saskatchewan and the southeast corner of Alberta are under CDM’s classification of Extreme (D3) drought as of April 30. Communities […] Read more


CBOT July 2021 wheat (candlesticks) with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages (yellow, orange, dark green lines). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Corn, soy, wheat dip ahead of WASDE

Market eyes U.S. supply-demand reports for price direction

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago corn futures fell on Monday, pausing after rallying to eight-year highs last week, with traders focusing on the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s upcoming world supply-demand (WASDE) report for new price direction. Wheat dipped, supported by beneficial rains across the U.S. Great Plains, while soybeans traded mixed on continued tight supplies. […] Read more

Drought stressed grain crops like this barley may not be worth combining, but they can be used as livestock feed. It is always important to have feed tested to determine its nutrient value.

Salvaged crops can fit into beef rations

Canola hay can make good feed, but a feed analysis is a must

With what appears to be a dry spring shaping up, it never hurts for beef producers to be prepared in case forage production is in short supply any year. In drought years it’s often hard to locate an adequate forage supply for cattle. Sometimes producers use alternative feeds, which might include drought-stressed or salvaged crops. […] Read more


(File photo courtesy Canola Council of Canada)

Canada left with very tight canola, barley stocks

'You can't find canola anywhere in the country'

MarketsFarm — Statistics Canada’s grain stocks report leaves no question that canola stocks have been tight for some time in Canada and will continue to be unless demand is slashed, according to independent trader Jerry Klassen in Winnipeg. “You can’t find canola anywhere in the country and the stocks that are out there, a lot […] Read more

Corn seedlings on June 1, 2020. (Farmtario photo by John Greig)

U.S. grains: Corn, soy futures hit multi-year highs on supply fears

Dryness in Brazil fuels supply fears

Chicago | Reuters — Concerns that global crop supplies will remain lean pushed Chicago Board of Trade corn futures to their highest price since March 2013 on Friday, while soybean futures reached their highest since October 2012. The markets surged before the weekend as traders braced for the potential of further rallies driven by tightening […] Read more



CBOT July 2021 corn (candlesticks) with 20-day moving average (dark green line) and December 2021 corn (yellow line). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Corn futures pierce eight-year peak

Soy rallies on supply worries

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Board of Trade corn futures extended a rally above eight-year highs on Thursday as dry weather threatened harvest yields in major exporter Brazil and kept traders’ focus on ebbing global supplies. Soybeans approached an 8-1/2-year peak reached last week, buoyed by rallying vegetable oil prices, and wheat was also higher. […] Read more