(Jimfeng/iStock/Getty Images)

U.S. EPA denies nearly all biofuel blending exemption petitions

Refineries didn't prove hardship, agency said

New York | Reuters — U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration on Friday denied almost all outstanding petitions from oil refiners asking to be exempted from mandates that require them to mix biofuels into their fuel. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which has the authority to issue the exemptions, denied 26 petitions from 15 small refineries […] Read more

(File photo by Dave Bedard)

Net short position nearly gone in canola

Traders still net short in CBOT wheat, corn

MarketsFarm — Speculative traders continue to exit their bearish bets in canola, with the net short position dipping below 4,000 in the latest Commitments of Traders report from the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). As of July 11, the net managed money short position in canola futures came in at 3,899 contracts (34,124 short, […] Read more


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

U.S. grains: Wheat, corn rise as Ukraine shipping deal set to end

Soybeans mixed on profit-taking, supply questions

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat futures rose on Friday as drought conditions in Canada and the northern Plains continue to weigh on the market, as does uncertainty over the future of Ukraine’s wartime grain export shipping deal that is set to expire on Monday. Corn followed wheat up on yield concerns and technical trading. […] Read more

Cattle prices encouraging herd expansion

Cattle prices encouraging herd expansion

Market Update: Consumer spending on beef has been strong, but will it continue?

During the third week of June, Alberta packers were buying fed cattle on a dressed basis at $415/cwt delivered. Prices f.o.b the feedlot in southern Alberta were averaging $246/cwt. The U.S cattle herd has been contracting for the past four years. Cattle prices are now functioning to encourage expansion. Wholesale beef prices are also trading […] Read more


Barley south of Ethelton, Sask. in early August 2017. (File photo by Dave Bedard)

Feed weekly outlook: Dryness helps push up grain prices

Market seen shifting between 'no need' and 'giant need'

MarketsFarm — As dry conditions continued to take root across much of the Canadian Prairies, feed grain prices have for the most part been climbing, according to Susanne Leclerc of Market Master Ltd. in Edmonton. “The futures are coming up on quite a few commodities, so the prices have been coming up slightly,” Leclerc said […] Read more

CBOT December 2023 corn with Bollinger bands (20,2) and U.S. dollar index (black line). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Corn, soy rally as focus returns to weather, dollar

Wheat traders keep one eye on Black Sea deal

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn futures bounced on Thursday on bargain buying after hitting a 2-1/2-year low early in the session while soybeans rose three per cent as traders shifted their focus back to uncertain crop weather and worries about supplies, analysts said. A slump in the U.S. dollar lifted wheat as well as […] Read more


 There are 37 acres of annual pasture seeded to two different blends including a cover crop blend that includes, oats, peas, sunn hemp, sunflower, crimson clover, lablab (a forage legume that grows similar to sweet pea), and radish.

All efforts geared toward sustainable beef and crop production

Quebec producer adopts regenerative agriculture practices in a bid ‘to do something different’

Stéphane Guay produces beef and cash crops on his farm in southwest Quebec, but there is so much more happening on this 400-acre regenerative agriculture operation he’s been developing over the past few years. Yes, there are cattle and crops, but they’re just part of a diversified farming operation that includes a wide range of […] Read more

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

U.S. grains: Corn hits 2-1/2-year low, soybeans tumble over USDA data

WASDE also pressures CBOT wheat

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn futures fell to their lowest price since early 2021 on Wednesday after the U.S. Department of Agriculture projected a larger-than-expected domestic crop and rising supplies, analysts said. Soybean futures tumbled after USDA’s forecast of 2023-24 soy ending stocks fell above a range of trade estimates, and wheat futures were […] Read more


(Christophe Paul photo courtesy USDA)

CBOT weekly outlook: Markets react bearishly to WASDE report

Traders were expecting reduced U.S. corn yield

MarketsFarm — The Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) saw futures come down after the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released its monthly world agricultural supply and demand estimates (WASDE) on Wednesday. Corn prices were 18 cents per bushel lower on the day, while soybeans lost 27-33 cents (all figures US$). Chicago soft wheat shed 24-28 […] Read more

CBOT November 2023 soybeans with 20- and 100-day moving averages and August 2023 soybeans (yellow line). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Soy climbs on supply worries ahead of USDA reports

Chicago wheat, corn also rise

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures rose for a second straight session on Tuesday as traders braced for a monthly U.S. government crop report due on Wednesday that is expected to project a smaller crop and tighter supplies, analysts said. Wheat futures rose as a drone strike on Ukraine’s Odesa port returned attention to […] Read more