(Dave Bedard photo)

SaskCanola, SaskFlax merge offices, management

Groups will maintain separate governing boards, levies

Sasskatchewan’s canola and flax development commissions are consolidating their management, staff and office space under one roof. SaskCanola and SaskFlax said Wednesday their new “management collaboration” will translate to efficiencies for both commissions with “a full staff complement to support both boards.” Both organizations will now operate out of the current SaskCanola office at Innovation […] Read more



CBOT March 2023 soft red winter wheat with 20-day moving average (black line), MGEX March 2023 hard red spring wheat (yellow line) and K.C. March 2023 hard red winter wheat (orange line). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Wheat up off nearly four-week low

Corn, soy futures set two-week lows

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Board of Trade wheat futures turned higher on short-covering and bargain buying on Thursday after dropping to their lowest price in almost four weeks, analysts said. Corn and soybeans set two-week lows as concerns about demand and economic headwinds, including the impact of surging COVID-19 cases in China, continued to […] Read more

CME February 2023 lean hogs with Bollinger bands (20,2). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME lean hogs touch three-week low

Most live cattle futures settle lower

Chicago | Reuters — CME lean hog futures set a three-week low on Thursday, under pressure from losses in broader markets and following recent weakness in cash hog prices, analysts said. Feeder cattle futures also ended lower as the market pulled back one day after hitting a September high. Livestock markets took signals from a […] Read more


ICE March 2023 canola with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

ICE weekly outlook: Sideways canola market watching macros

USDA report may offer nearby direction

MarketsFarm — ICE Futures canola contracts remain stuck in a sideways trading range to start the New Year, with bearish outside forces countered by relatively supportive fundamentals. From a chart standpoint, March canola is stuck in a sideways range between $800 and $900, with little to suggest a break one way or the other for […] Read more

File photo of the facade of the U.S. Department of Agriculture building in Washington, D.C. (Camrocker/iStock/Getty Images)

CBOT weekly outlook: USDA ‘data dump’ due next week

'Minor changes' expected for corn, soy

MarketsFarm — A flurry of reports is coming from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on Jan. 12, including its monthly supply and demand estimates, quarterly grains stocks report and winter wheat planting report, among others. Futures International analyst Terry Reilly said the multitude of the reports coming out that Thursday will essentially be a […] Read more


A drone’s-eye view of crews repairing a levee, north of the Cosumnes River, after it was breached by heavy rains and flooded Sacramento County roads and properties near Wilton, just southeast of Sacramento, on Jan. 2, 2023. (Photo: Reuters/Fred Greaves)

Another ‘atmospheric river’ storm renews flood threat in California

Sacramento | Reuters — Emergency crews braced for the next bout of high winds and torrential rains forecast to sweep California starting on Wednesday, renewing the threat of power outages and flooding that struck parts of the state over the New Year’s weekend. The latest “atmospheric river” — an airborne current of dense moisture flowing […] Read more

CME February 2023 lean hogs with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME hogs weaken, cattle rise as winter storms hit

Hogs touch lowest since Dec. 16

Chicago | Reuters — CME lean hog futures fell to their lowest price in more than two weeks on Wednesday and live cattle futures strengthened as snowstorms continued to disrupt livestock operations. Feeder cattle futures reached their highest price since September. Wintry weather in the northern U.S. Plains has delayed livestock shipments, reduced cattle weights […] Read more


CBOT March 2023 wheat with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Wheat, corn futures hit two-week lows on demand concerns

Wheat futures curbed by cheaper Black Sea supplies; U.S. Plains wheat ratings dip in Kansas

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat and corn futures set two-week lows on Wednesday as concerns about weakening demand hung over commodity markets. Investor worries about economic headwinds, including the impact of a surge of COVID-19 cases in China, were encouraging selling in commodities, analysts said. Chart-based selling also weighed on the grain markets, they […] Read more

Close-up of a McDonald’s double Quarter Pounder with bacon. (Corporate.mcdonalds.com)

McDonald’s reported set to exit Kazakhstan on Russia war spillover

Reuters — McDonald’s Corp. is set to abandon Kazakhstan as disruptions triggered by the Ukraine crisis have left the nation without a substitute for Russian meat supplies, Bloomberg News reported Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter. The fast-food giant, which exited Russia in May, banned its local franchisee from procuring meat patties from Russian […] Read more