CBOT November 2023 soybeans with Bollinger bands (20,2). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Soy futures climb ahead of key USDA reports

CBOT December corn up, September wheat down

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures rose about two per cent on Monday, bouncing off of a one-week low set Friday as traders positioned ahead of monthly crop reports due at midweek from the U.S. Department of Agriculture that are expected to project tighter U.S. supplies of the oilseed, traders said. Strength in global […] Read more



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

U.S. grains: Corn firms on technicals, short-covering

Soybeans retreat; wheat futures consolidate

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn futures rose on Thursday on technical buying and short covering following a two-week slide that took prices to 2-1/2 year lows. Soybean futures fell in a profit-taking retreat from multi-month highs posted after the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) unexpectedly slashed its U.S. plantings estimate and as recent rains […] Read more


(PortOfThunderBay.com)

Thunder Bay grain shipments up on year

Less potash moved so far this year

MarketsFarm — Grain shipments through the Port of Thunder Bay are running well ahead of the previous year’s pace, according to updated data from the Lake Superior facility. Grain shipments through the end of June of about 2.5 million tonnes were up by 760,000 from the same point the previous year. Monthly shipments in June […] Read more

Temperature can play an important role in the amount of damage flea beetles can cause to a canola crop. Both species do most of their damage in warm conditions.

Efficacies of insecticide seed treatments on flea beetles

The latest findings on flea beetle control products

The 2022 growing season was a “monstrous” year for canola farmers battling flea beetles in some parts of the Prairies. James Tansey, an entomologist with the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture, shared that assessment with a crowd of producers, agronomists, agri-retailers and other industry representatives at Saskatchewan’s Agronomy Research Update 2022, held last December in Saskatoon. […] Read more


Canada could become a major grower and exporter of poppy seed or, perhaps, we could explore its oilseed and feed or food potential for the Prairies.

Poppy crops for Western Canada

Could this be an opportunity for Prairie farmers?

My interest in this topic was piqued by the fact that I purchased a pound of poppy seed at an Edmonton grocery outlet and it cost me more than $10. I checked the internet and the literature on poppy seed growing and was surprised to find that Australia, Turkey, the Czech Republic and even Britain […] 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 surges on slow harvesting, poor crop conditions

Corn hits 2-1/2-year low and ends mixed, soy mostly firm

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat futures surged on Wednesday as slow winter wheat harvesting and deteriorating spring crop conditions fuelled buying and short covering that lifted prices from 2-1/2-week lows. The wheat rally pulled corn up from 2-1/2-year lows despite expanded plantings and recent rains that lessened concerns about drought-reduced yields. Soybeans firmed on […] Read more


Prince Rupert Grain Terminal. (Rupertport.com)

Strike continues at West Coast ports as employers exit talks

Results unlikely through bargaining now, BCMEA says

A strike by longshore workers at British Columbia’s West Coast ports is expected to continue after the employers’ group announced plans to step away from further bargaining. The B.C. Maritime Employers Association (BCMEA), in a statement Monday, said it’s “of the view that a continuation of bargaining at this time is not going to produce […] Read more

Vessels are seen as they await inspection under the Black Sea Grain Initiative, brokered by the UN and Turkey, in the southern anchorage of the Bosphorus at Istanbul on Dec. 11, 2022. (File photo: Reuters/Yoruk Isik)

Russia rejects bank compromise as Black Sea grain deal expiry looms

Collapse of deal could aggravate global food crisis

Reuters — Russia on Tuesday restated a demand for its state agricultural bank to be reconnected to the global SWIFT payments system to avert the collapse of the Black Sea grain deal, and said it would not accept a reported compromise proposal. With 13 days remaining until the expiry of the deal, which has allowed […] Read more