CBOT May 2022 soybeans (candlesticks) with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages (yellow, dark green and black lines). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Soybean futures rise on export strength

Corn, wheat also strong

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Board of Trade soybean, wheat and corn futures firmed on Friday, with all three commodities recovering from declines posted during the overnight trading session. The strength in soybeans stemmed from signs that demand for U.S. supplies remains strong even with newly harvested soybeans from South America available on the marketplace. […] Read more

In all of Western Canada, total beef cows as of January 1, 2022 were 3.089 million head, down only 23,500 head from last year. This isn’t significant enough to say that producers liquidated cows due to the drought. This is a minor change due to market influences.

Stats Can survey updates the beef numbers

Market Update with Jerry Klassen: Drought impact was less than expected, but what will the war in Europe mean to beef markets?

Feeder cattle prices across Western Canada have been quite volatile due to geopolitical issues. I’ve received many calls from cow-calf producers and backgrounding operators regarding the timing of feeder cattle sales. Prices have varied significantly from week to week. For example, the price of 600-pound steers in Alberta varied recently by as much as $15 […] Read more



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

U.S. grains: Wheat, corn, soybeans fall with exports in focus

Ukraine's hindered exports 'priced in' on values

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Board of Trade wheat and corn futures fell on Thursday, with traders noting the market has already absorbed supply disruptions from the Black Sea region following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine a month ago. “It feels like the market has priced in that there will be an issue with corn and […] Read more


As part of the proper annual maintenance of a row planter, technician Andrew Kippen removes row units to have a look deep inside the seeding system.

Planter maintenance tips

Seed metering systems need to be checked for calibration and inspected for other wear-and-tear items

A row planter specialist in southern Manitoba says this is the time of year farmers should be readying their seeding equipment for the 2022 seeding season. Andrew Kippen, manager of North Valley Precision Planting at Homewood in south-central Manitoba east of Carman, has been busy these days testing planter metering systems for accuracy. “You can […] Read more

Lean into strategic planning skills for 2022

In February, Farm Credit Canada released recommendations for farmers to navigate the challenges 2022 might present. According to FCC, this year is going to be a balancing act between growth, innovation and risk management, in which strategic planning will play a large role. “Canadian producers are encouraged to lean into their strategic planning skills this […] Read more



CBOT May 2022 corn (candlesticks) with Bollinger bands (20,2). (Barchart)

CBOT weekly outlook: Grain markets rangebound

Drought seen persisting for U.S.

MarketsFarm — With very little in terms of major new developments from the Russian invasion of Ukraine, grain prices on the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) for the week ended Tuesday were devoid of the volatility seen in previous weeks. The May corn contract traded at each side of the $7.50 per bushel mark during […] Read more


CBOT May 2022 soybeans (candlesticks) with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages (yellow, dark green and black lines). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Soy futures rise on strong exports

Corn, wheat futures mixed

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures firmed on Tuesday on signs that export demand for U.S. supplies remained firm even as South American farmers harvest their crops. Corn and wheat futures were mixed, with nearby contracts easing and deferred offerings rising. “It is really a mixed bag out here,” said Mark Gold, managing partner […] Read more

CCA president Bob Lowe speaks at a press conference in Ottawa on March 21, 2022, calling for federal back-to-work legislation to end a work stoppage at Canadian Pacific Railway. (CPAC video screengrab via YouTube)

Ag industry groups seek legislated end to CP stoppage

Feed, fertilizer traffic already way behind, groups say

Warning they don’t have time to wait on negotiation, representatives for cattle feeders, fertilizer producers and grain growers took to Parliament Hill on Monday to press for the federal government to instead legislate Canadian Pacific Railway’s engineers and conductors back to work. Traffic halted on CP lines just after midnight ET Sunday morning as the […] Read more