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Saskatchewan crops advancing quickly

MarketsFarm — Hot and humid conditions saw crops in Saskatchewan advance quickly during the week ended Monday, according to the latest provincial crop report — although the humidity has slowed haying. When humidity is high, cutting hay becomes more challenging and hay that is cut does not dry down as quickly, which can result in […] Read more

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

U.S. grains: Corn, soy, wheat fall on weather, Ukraine sea pact

IGC's corn outlook lower, wheat outlook up

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn futures fell to two-week lows and new-crop soybeans hit a six-month low on Thursday on improving crop weather in the Midwest and news of a deal to restart Ukraine’s Black Sea grain exports, traders said. Wheat futures declined after choppy trade. All three markets fell to the day’s lows […] Read more


Cargo ships are docked in Ukraine’s Black Sea port of Odesa on Nov. 4, 2016. (File photo: Reuters/Valentyn Ogirenko)

Deal to resume Ukraine Black Sea grain exports to be signed Friday

Istanbul/United Nations | Reuters — Ukraine, Russia, Turkey and U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will sign a deal on Friday to resume Ukraine’s Black Sea grain exports, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan’s office said Thursday. Russia and Ukraine are both major global wheat suppliers, but Moscow’s Feb. 24 invasion of its neighbour has sent food prices soaring […] Read more

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

ICE weekly outlook: Benign weather weighs on canola

MarketsFarm — ICE Futures canola contracts were seeing choppy activity in mid-July but were under pressure overall, closing at their weakest levels in six months on Wednesday. Relatively favourable Prairie weather, speculative long-liquidation, and pressure from outside markets all weighed on values with more losses likely if no weather concerns develop. “The weather looks fairly […] Read more


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

U.S. grains: Soy, corn futures ease on improving weather

CBOT wheat firms on export news

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean and corn futures fell on Wednesday on forecasts for improving weather in the Midwest, including rains next week that should boost crop production prospects, analysts said. Wheat futures rose as traders awaited the outcome of Egyptian wheat purchase negotiations, as well as talks on a possible deal to boost […] Read more

Canola plants in flower in a field north of Lorette, Man. on July 20, 2022. (Dave Bedard photo)

Good ratings seen for Manitoba’s spring wheat, canola

MarketsFarm — Crops in Manitoba remain in good shape, according to the latest weekly report from the province’s agriculture ministry. In particular, Manitoba Agriculture and Resource Development (MARD) found spring wheat across the province rated 85 per cent good to excellent — but with crops not doing as well in the province’s Interlake region. While […] Read more


File photo of a bulk port facility in Ukraine. (Olivia Sabeskaya/iStock/Getty Images)

Ukraine grain storage crisis hits home as farmers harvest new crops

Outlook bleak if sea export route not reopened soon

Khreshchate, Ukraine | Reuters — Ukrainian farmer Mykola Tereshchenko hopes to start harvesting his wheat fields this week, but the smallholder in northern Ukraine has nowhere to store the grain. His silos are still crammed full with 1,100 tonnes of grain from last year’s harvest that he can’t export due to the closure of Ukraine’s […] Read more

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

U.S. grains: Corn, soybeans end lower on crop prospects

Wheat down on cancelled export tender

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn futures fell more than two per cent on Tuesday and soybeans also declined on optimism for sizable U.S. crops and some forecasts for rain next week, despite pockets of stress from hot and dry conditions, traders said. Wheat futures finished lower after a choppy session, declining after Egypt’s state […] Read more


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

U.S. grains: Corn, soy, wheat up on broad commodity strength

Crop-stressing dry heat expected in Midwest

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn, soybeans and wheat futures rose on Monday in response to worries about potentially stressful hot weather in the Midwest and Europe, coupled with bullish sentiment in crude oil and a weaker dollar, analysts said. Chicago Board of Trade benchmark December corn settled up seven cents at $6.10-3/4 per bushel, […] Read more

BNSF crews clear track near Lemmon, S.D., about 300 km northeast of Rapid City, in late December 2016. (BNSF.com)

Biden steps in to help end freight rail labour disputes

Disputes dragging at BNSF, Union Pacific

Washington | Reuters — U.S. President Joe Biden on Friday signed an executive order creating an emergency board to help resolve disputes between major freight rail carriers and their unions, in a move that could help loosen up some supply chain constraints. The order came ahead of a deadline next week to intervene in nationwide […] Read more