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

Some fungal diseases of crops are more prevalent in acidic soils. A good example is clubroot in canola in central Alberta.

Acid soil management in your fields

How to prevent, manage and remediate acid soils

Soil acidity is determined by measuring soil pH. The “H” refers to hydrogen and the “p” refers to hydrogen concentration on a negative logarithm scale (soil pH is -log [H+]). A soil pH of 7.0 is neutral, meaning the hydrogen (H+) ion concentration in soil equals the hydroxyl (OH-) ion concentration. A soil pH less […] 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



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



Among the most serious weed resistance concerns on the Prairies are wild oat and green foxtail, both seen here in this photo from Manitoba’s Interlake region in 2020.

How to scout for herbicide-resistant weeds

What to look for and when, plus prevention tips and an update on herbicide-resistant downy brome in canola

Get out and scout. Next to diversifying your rotations and herbicide selection as much as possible, it’s a critical part of managing herbicide-resistant weeds on your farm in 2022. Scouting is important because without an accurate and thorough picture of what resistant species exist in your fields, you can’t make the best management decisions. More […] 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