(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Feed weekly outlook: Grains see flat demand, price movement

A clearer picture of new-crop corn availability may provide direction

MarketsFarm — Recent demand for feed grains from feedlots has been in a standstill, according to Erin Harakal, trade manager for Agfinity Inc. at Stony Plain, Alta. “It’s been flat, probably since the end of September. We haven’t seen any big changes when it comes to demand or prices,” she said. “From what we’ve been […] Read more

The Agriculture Enlightened conference, held Oct. 26 in Winnipeg and hosted by EMILI, is trying to help Canada become a leader in digital and precision agriculture. (John Deere photo)

Robots may help grain farmers diversify

Tech could support labour-intensive higher-value crops

Chuck Baresich, who owns an agricultural robotics business in Ontario, says controlling weeds with robots is probably best suited for high-value, horticultural crops in Canada. However, large-scale grain farmers could also use the technology if they think about it differently. “Let’s say my brother and me are growing 1,500 acres of corn,” said Baresich, who […] Read more


Brenna Mahoney, general manager of Keystone Agriculture Producers, speaks during a panel discussion at the Agriculture Enlightened conference in Winnipeg on Oct. 26. (Geralyn Wichers photo)

Think outside the agriculture box for labour, ag and tech leaders say

Agriculture in the Classroom is reaching non-farming students with inspiration for ag jobs, panelists say

Ag and tech leaders encouraged employers to think outside the agricultural box when looking to hire workers in order to expand the labour pool.  “I’m one of the lucky ones,” said Brenna Mahoney, general manager of Keystone Agricultural Producers (KAP).  Mahoney entered the industry with no agriculture experience. She had training in human resources and […] Read more

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

U.S. grains: Wheat up off two-week low on Ukraine export uncertainty

Ukraine denies suspension of Black Sea export corridor

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Board of Trade wheat futures rose from a two-week low on Thursday on jitters about supply risks from the Ukraine war. Ukraine, a major grain exporter, has been using a Black Sea shipping channel to try to revive its seaborne shipments without Russian approval after Moscow in July quit a […] Read more


CME December 2023 live cattle with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME cattle ease on larger U.S. supply, weaker equities

Lean hog futures continue higher

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange cattle futures eased on Thursday, with losses in equities and bigger-than-expected U.S. livestock supplies dragging down the markets. Traders kept an eye on Wall Street as weakness in stocks and concerns about the economy can limit consumer demand for pricey beef, analysts said. Stocks closed lower amid signs […] Read more

File photo of Rabobank’s office building in Utrecht. (Rabobank.com)

More acres expected for soybeans, canola, Rabobank says

RaboResearch arm sees Canada's exporters 'struggling' with margins

MarketsFarm — Farmers in the U.S. will seed more soybeans in 2024-25, with Canadian canola plantings also expected to rise to a lesser extent, according to a grains and oilseeds analyst with RaboResearch Food and AgriBusiness, a division of the Dutch multinational bank Rabobank at the firm’s Fall Harvest Outlook webinar. During the Wednesday webinar, […] Read more



ICE January 2024 canola with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

ICE weekly outlook: Canola pulling lower

Futures subject to 'financial gravity'

MarketsFarm — Canola futures on the Intercontinental Exchange kicked off the week of Oct. 23-27 with sharp losses, as the most heavily traded January contract busted through its support level of $700 per tonne. Among the reasons for canola’s steep fall, as David Derwin pointed out, were the better than average yields from this year’s […] Read more


A soybean field north of St. Adolphe, Man. on Sept. 17, 2023. (Dave Bedard photo)

CBOT weekly outlook: Seasonal harvest pressure weighs on soy, corn

Soyoil/meal spread worth watching

MarketsFarm — Soybean and corn futures at the Chicago Board of Trade may be hard pressed to move much higher in the short-term, as advancing harvest operations across the U.S. leave the market flush with supplies. However, solid underlying demand should remain supportive on the other side, according to an analyst. “Seasonal harvest pressure is […] Read more

File photo of laker vessels navigating the Welland Canal. (JonathanNicholls/iStock/Getty Images)

Seaway strike backs up Ontario grain

Prairie grain may follow suit if strike backs up traffic via Thunder Bay, GFO warns

The nature of eastern Canadian grain logistics, and a strike by St. Lawrence Seaway workers who operate the system’s canals, will see cascading impacts across the system if the situation isn’t resolved quickly, according to Crosby Devitt, CEO of Grain Farmers of Ontario. Unifor workers in both Ontario and Quebec walked off the job Sunday […] Read more