CNS Canada — Saskatchewan farmers are still putting the finishing touches on this year’s chickpea harvest, with quality and calibre the two most important pricing factors to watch going forward. “We’re seeing a wide range of quality — everything from decent to significantly damaged,” said Colin Young of Midwest Investments in Moose Jaw. While green […] Read more
Quality, calibre key for chickpeas going forward
Relative oats strength running into resistance
CNS Canada –– Oats bids in Western Canada are holding steady for the time being, but could be due for a setback given the weak U.S. corn market and declining nearby demand. “My bias is towards oats prices going down in relation to other commodities,” said Ryan McKnight of Linear Grain at Carman, Man. Demand […] Read more
Prairie grain revenue up as CP books record Q3 profit
An increased grain handle for the three months ending Sept. 30 has helped boost Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) to its highest third-quarter profit ever. Calgary-based CP released its Q3 results Tuesday, reporting record net income of $400 million on record total revenue of $1.67 billion for the quarter, up from $324 million on $1.534 billion […] Read more
U.S. official urges deal on COOL clash
Washington | Reuters — A negotiated solution is the best way to resolve a trade dispute with Canada and Mexico over meat labeling in the short term, a U.S. official said Monday. A World Trade Organization compliance panel said earlier the U.S. has not done enough to change its country-of-origin labeling (COOL) rules after losing […] Read more
Pearce: Short-term price rally may be just that
In most circumstances in business and farming, the saying “slow and steady wins the race” is true more often than not. Since the start of 2014, farmers have been hearing about a downturn in commodity prices. A high carryout from the 2013 crop in the U.S. (and continued growth in other parts of the world) […] Read more
Klassen: Feeder cattle experience volatile price action
Western Canada’s feeder cattle prices traded in an volatile fashion this past week due to uncertain economics and beef demand uncertainty. Early in the week, auction barns were reporting values steady with week-ago levels; however, buying enthusiasm started to wane by Wednesday and prices were $3-$5 per hundredweight (cwt) lower by the weekend. Feedlot operators […] Read more
Investment firm SHV bids US$3.4B for feed firm Nutreco
Amsterdam | Reuters –– SHV, a family-owned Dutch investment firm, has reached a conditional agreement to buy animal feed and nutrition company Nutreco for 2.7 billion euros (US$3.4 billion), expanding into food-related businesses. The offer of 40 euros per share is a premium of 42 per cent to the stock’s closing price on Friday and […] Read more
Prairie CWRS bids up as basis moves to a premium
CNS Canada — Average cash bids for Canada Western Red Spring (CWRS) wheat were higher during the week, as basis levels moved higher, now offering farmers a premium over futures in many areas. CWRS prices were up between about $7 and C$13 compared to a week ago. The best pricing opportunities were still available in […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Fund buying lifts CME live cattle to new high
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures hit a new high on Monday, sparked by active fund buying that triggered buy stops and short-covering, traders said. October closed up 2.85 cents per pound at 167.9 cents after earlier posting a new contract high of 167.925 cents in electronic trading (all figures US$). […] Read more
U.S. grains: Prices touch one-week lows on improved U.S. harvest weather
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn and soybean futures touched one-week lows on Monday as drier weather in the U.S. Midwest was expected to allow harvests to accelerate after rain delays. Corn finished near unchanged, shaking off losses associated with the improved harvest outlook as technical buyers entered the market. Forecasts for mostly dry conditions […] Read more