CBOT November 2021 soybeans with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Soybeans rise as USDA projects tight supplies into 2022

Wheat slumps on profit taking, nearby corn also slips

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures firmed on Friday after the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) forecast domestic supplies of the oilseed would remain historically tight into 2022 despite its projection for a record-large harvest this autumn. Corn futures were mixed, with nearby contracts slipping from earlier highs on profit-taking ahead of the weekend, […] Read more

CBOT March 2021 soybeans with Bollinger (20,2) bands. (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Soybeans, corn slump on record USDA acreage projections

Wheat gains on harsh U.S. cold, surging European wheat

Chicago | Reuters — Corn and soybean futures retreated on Thursday after the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) projected that U.S. farmers would devote more acres to the two crops this spring than any year on record. U.S. wheat futures, meanwhile, climbed to the highest level in 2-1/2 weeks on rallying European wheat prices, a […] Read more


A container terminal at the Port of Vancouver. (FangXiaNuo/E+/Canada)

Grain handler group seeks Vancouver port governance overhaul

The WGEA, whose members ship most of Western Canada's grain, complain the port is in a conflict of interest as both developer and regulator

Vancouver, Canada’s biggest port and the most important to Western Canada’s economy, needs major changes in how it operates, the Western Grain Elevator Association (WGEA) says. As a statutory monopoly the port authority is both a port developer and regulator putting it in a conflict of interest, according to WGEA executive director Wade Sobkowich. “We […] Read more

(File photo by Dave Bedard)

Nutrien beats profit expectation on strong potash sales

Reuters — Canadian fertilizer maker Nutrien posted fourth-quarter profit above analysts’ estimates on Wednesday as potash demand rose amid rising crop prices, sending its U.S.-listed shares up in extended trade. Fertilizer producers have benefited from high U.S. crop exports, including record-large corn sales to China. With crop prices touching multi-year highs, farmers are poised to […] Read more


CBOT March 2021 wheat with Bollinger (20,2) bands. (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Wheat retreats after cold-weather rally

Corn, soy futures consolidate

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat futures fell two per cent on Wednesday, retreating from a two-week high set in early moves, as concerns eased about cold-weather damage following a frigid weekend in the U.S. Plains, analysts said. Corn futures firmed slightly, consolidating below multi-year highs established last week, and soybean futures closed mixed. A […] Read more

(Dave Bedard photo)

Canola stocks to tighten below a million tonnes, AAFC says

MarketsFarm — Canadian canola ending stocks in both the current 2020-21 marketing year and in 2021-22 are forecast to tighten below a million tonnes, according to updated supply/demand estimates from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. The tight stocks were largely tied to expectations for increased domestic usage, with projected canola exports left unchanged from the January […] Read more



CBOT March 2021 wheat with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Wheat climbs to one-week high on frigid U.S. weather

Corn, soy futures follow firm trend

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat futures climbed to a one-week high on Tuesday, rising more than three per cent on fears that frigid temperatures in the bread basket of the U.S. Plains may have damaged winter wheat, analysts said. Corn and soybean futures followed the firm trend, with a strong U.S. soy-crushing pace and […] Read more


Incoming WTO director-general Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala takes part in an online meeting before speaking during an interview with Reuters in Potomac, Maryland on Feb. 15, 2021. (Photo: Reuters/Joshua Roberts)

Nigeria’s Okonjo-Iweala makes history as new head of WTO

Geneva-based body leaderless for six months; Trump paralyzed some of WTO's functions

Geneva/Washington | Reuters — Three months after the Trump administration rejected her, former Nigerian finance minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala received unanimous backing on Monday to become the first woman and first African director-general of the World Trade Organization. A self-declared “doer” with a track record of taking on seemingly intractable problems, Okonjo-Iweala will have her work […] Read more

An image created by Nexu Science Communication, together with Trinity College in Dublin, shows a model structurally representative of a betacoronavirus, the type of virus linked to COVID-19. (Nexu Science Communication via Reuters)

Foreign workers to lose some travel exemptions in March

Temporary foreign workers (TFWs) travelling to Canada won’t need to quarantine in a government-supervised hotel when they get here – for now — but by mid-March, Ottawa will put more stringent measures in place. Starting Feb. 22, non-essential travellers and essential workers arriving in Canada will be tested for COVID-19 upon their arrival. Non-essential travellers […] Read more