As I explained in my last article maybe we aren’t being ripped off with the wheat basis, but it looks to me like we are being misled (ripped off) with the currency conversion being calculated within the basis! Let me expand on this with some numbers and facts so that you can decide what transparency […] Read more
Currency and the wheat basis
Grain companies are blending their currency conversions into the wheat basis. For western Canadian farmers, this is not pricing transparency at its best
What’s the word on the street
Home from his trip to Farm Tech in Edmonton, Brian Wittal shares his insights from the conference hallways and his forecast for 2015 seeded canola acres
Having just returned from the FarmTech conference in Edmonton I thought it would be a good time to pass on to you some of my insights from the sessions and networking over the three days. After taking in three different grain market outlook sessions I came away with a broad range of information from three […] Read more
Is the wheat basis a fair deal for farmers?
Changing basis levels at local elevators can leave farmers wondering if today’s markets are working fairly or not. Learn more about what you can learn from basis
With current wheat basis levels, are we being ripped off? This is a question many farmers have asked over the past couple of years, since the demise of the Canadian Wheat Board as a central marketing agency, and even more so this last year when we saw basis levels go to historically wide levels due […] Read more
World events impact the farm
When you’re a farmer, world economics have a direct impact on your bottom line. Here’s a review of some of the hotspots to watch for the rest of the winter
Let’s review world events that could impact grain markets. Recent U.S. economic reports show the economy growing at a better-than-expected pace over the last few months. This is starting to push the U.S. dollar higher as investors look to the dollar as a safe investment haven. This is driving the Canadian dollar lower, back down […] Read more
Market macro review for 2015
World grain supplies, politics, economics and weather can all have an influence on the price of your grain
In this column we’ll look at some macro issues that can and likely will influence grain markets in 2015 and beyond. World supplies Bumper crops in the U.S. An average crop on top of a bumper crop last year in Western Canada. Normal to above average production in the EU, but quality problems this year. […] Read more
Building a crop marketing strategy for your farm
Understanding Market Bulls and Bears: Use market information and your own numbers to build a marketing strategy that works
The more meetings you go to and the more speakers you listen to, the more market influencing factors you learn about which just continues to make “trying to figure the markets out” more confusing. Learning and gathering information is critical to helping you be successful in marketing your crops, but don’t let it overwhelm you […] Read more
Grain marketing, Mother Nature and Murphy’s Law
Some years anything that can go wrong, will. Avoid further trouble with these three marketing strategies
For many the first week of September 2014 was no doubt an agonizing experience as you had to sit by helplessly and watch it rain and snow and freeze. Undeniable proof that Mother Nature’s last name has to be Murphy, and she was in the mood to apply the full wrath of Murphy’s Law to […] Read more
Changing times, yet again for grain prices
With risks of global change and bad harvest weather, farmers can take action
Over the past month a number of things have happened that are going to impact world grain prices. Reports from the Ukrainian Ministry of Agriculture are saying that due to conflicts they expect that at least 15 per cent of the crops in Eastern regions will be lost because they have not been tended to […] Read more
From good planning comes review
The crop is in the ground. Now it’s time to put your marketing plan under review
These were my final comments in my last column: “As a primary producer you are fully exposed to these market swings and fluctuations so you need to be prepared to react when they happen to protect your bottom line. Have a marketing and pricing plan in place that incorporates ways of protecting yourself when futures […] Read more
An end to the price panic
Six months ago, panic made many farmers jump and sell low-priced grain at historically wide basis levels
First, let’s review what was happening six months ago. Cold snowy weather backlogged logistics, but problems started months before that, in late summer and early fall. World buyers were buying little grain from Canada. They saw the big crop coming and waited for prices to fall. We lost two to three months of potential shipping […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
