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

U.S. grains: Soybean futures slump on global demand concerns

Traders eye favourable U.S. harvest weather

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Board of Trade soybean futures stumbled on Friday as rising crop sales in Argentina and warnings of a recession raised concerns about global demand for U.S. supplies, analysts said. Corn futures ended little changed, while wheat futures advanced. Traders focused on demand for crops, after the U.S. Department of Agriculture […] Read more

One thing you might want to consider when marketing your canola is the price of crude oil.

Will canola rally?

There’s room for canola prices to recover, but keep an eye on the war in Ukraine, transportation constraints, increasing crush capacity and the cost of crude oil in the coming months

Canola prices dipped after hitting record highs last spring, but could western Canadian producers see a price rally in the weeks ahead? MarketsFarm analyst Bruce Burnett says there’s a good chance prices will recover.  In an interview with Grainews in August, Burnett said virtually all commodities — including canola — experienced “a big, macro trade […] Read more


(File photo by Lisa Guenther)

Corteva to exit some markets, cut jobs in cost-saving push

Canada remains among company's 'core' markets

Reuters — Seeds and pesticides company Corteva on Tuesday announced plans to exit about 35 countries and lay off roughly five per cent of its global workforce as part of the company’s cost-cutting plans. A surge in inflation this year to four-decade highs has forced Corporate America to slash planned spending and roll out measures […] Read more

CBOT December 2022 soft red winter wheat (candlesticks) with 20-day moving average (green line), MGEX December 2022 spring wheat (yellow line) and K.C. December 2022 hard red wheat (orange line). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Wheat futures fall from two-month highs amid broad sell-off

USDA resumes weekly export sales data

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. grain and soybean futures closed lower on Thursday, with profit-taking dragging wheat down from two-month highs, traders said. Broad-based selling added pressure on prices as traders reduced their risk amid growing warnings of a global economic slowdown, analysts said. “Inflation and recession concerns hit all markets today,” CHS Hedging said. […] Read more


File photo of a BNSF grain train crossing the Gassman Coulee trestle near Minot, North Dakota. (Photo courtesy BNSF Railway)

U.S. railroad strike averted

Biden calls deal a 'win for America;' strike's impact would have reached up into Canada

Updated | Washington | Reuters — Major U.S. railroads and unions secured a tentative deal on Thursday after 20 hours of intense talks brokered by President Joe Biden’s administration to avert a rail shutdown that could have hit food and fuel supplies across the country and beyond. Biden called the deal a “big win for […] Read more

A freight train at Manchac, La., about 75 km east of Baton Rouge. (CN.ca)

U.S. rail embargoes may stymie some Canadian rail traffic

CN halts most cross-border traffic; CP also monitoring situation

Mindful of the potential for snarls on their own tracks, Canada’s big two railways are monitoring talks between a clutch of major U.S. railways and several of their labour unions to avert strikes and/or lockouts that may begin as early as Friday. As of Wednesday, three unions out of the 12 representing unionized rail workers […] Read more


ICE November 2022 canola (candlesticks) with 100-day moving average (green line) and Bollinger bands (20,2). (Barchart)

ICE weekly outlook: Canola futures continue trending lower

MarketsFarm — ICE Futures canola contracts saw some choppy activity during the week ended Wednesday, but the general trend remains pointed lower. “Whenever canola rebounds, it doesn’t go as high,” analyst Errol Anderson of Pro Market Communications in Calgary said. Anderson described the chart pattern as a “falling top,” with previous attempts at recovery in […] Read more

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

U.S. grains: Soybeans, corn down on technical setback

Chicago December wheat rises

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean and corn futures fell on Wednesday on a round of technical selling as traders adjusted their positions following a market rally sparked by the government’s Monday forecast for smaller-than-expected harvests. “That was a surprising number out of the U.S. Agriculture Department and the market reacted,” said Chris Robinson, founder […] Read more


File photo of a BNSF grain train in Montana. (Photo courtesy BNSF Railway)

U.S. railways to halt grain shipments ahead of potential shutdown

Fall fertilizer traffic also at risk

Chicago | Reuters — Some U.S. railroads will start halting crop shipments on Thursday, a day ahead of a potential work stoppage, an agricultural association and sources at two grain co-operatives said on Tuesday, threatening exports and feed deliveries for livestock. With farmers starting to harvest autumn crops that are shipped to meat and biofuels […] Read more

File photo of a BNSF grain train crossing the Gassman Coulee trestle near Minot, North Dakota. (Photo courtesy BNSF Railway)

U.S. government makes contingency plans for rail shutdown

Three unions represent about 60,000 rail workers

Washington/Los Angeles | Reuters — U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration on Tuesday made contingency plans aiming to ensure deliveries of critical goods in the event of a shutdown of the U.S. rail system while pressing railroads and unions to reach a deal to avoid a work stoppage affecting freight and passenger service. The potential shutdown, […] Read more