(Thinkstock photo)

Prairie cash wheat: Little change in wheat bids

U.S. wheat futures up on week

MarketsFarm — Despite bullish factors affecting wheat futures on the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT), western Canadian wheat bids did not see much change during the week ended Thursday. Futures prices for all three major U.S. varieties increased week-by-week, mostly fuelled by large gains on Feb. 10, as traders shifted focus to Russia’s invasion of […] Read more

(Dave Bedard photo)

AAFC revises crop estimates

Export, new-crop production outlooks revised lower for flax

MarketsFarm — Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) on Friday released its February supply and demand estimates with numerous small changes. AAFC held its projections for 2022-23 grains and oilseeds production at 89.489 million tonnes. As for exports, the department reduced them from 45.715 million tonnes last month to now 45.49 million. Furthermore, domestic usage was […] Read more


CBOT March 2023 soybeans with Bollinger bands (20,2). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Soy, corn, wheat inch higher ahead of holiday weekend

Chicago markets close Monday for Presidents Day

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Board of Trade corn, soybean and wheat futures closed modestly higher on Friday as traders squared positions ahead of a three-day U.S. weekend and weighed contrasting crop prospects in South America, analysts said. Uncertainty about the future of a Black Sea grain export corridor underpinned values, while a firming dollar […] Read more

CBOT March 2023 soybeans (candlesticks) with 20-day moving average and November 2023 soybeans (dark green o/h/l/c). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Soybeans end higher in choppy trade

CBOT corn mixed, wheat down; MGEX, K.C. wheats up

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures inched higher on Thursday while corn ended narrowly mixed after a choppy session as traders weighed poor crop prospects in Argentina against the expanding harvest of a massive Brazilian soybean crop and fears of rising interest rates, analysts said. Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) wheat futures fell on […] Read more


Oats. (Greg Berg photo)

Feed weekly outlook: Grain bids quietly drift lower

Oats still making their way into feedlots

MarketsFarm — Prices for feed barley and wheat in Western Canada drifted lower during the week ended Wednesday. Erin Harakal, trade manager for Agfinity Inc. at Stony Plain, Alta., said a relatively milder winter across the Prairies has resulted in less consumption of feed grains in feedlots. In turn, feedlots are not purchasing as much […] Read more

One Canada Square (tower at centre) houses the London head office of the International Grains Council. (Iliffd/iStock/Getty Images)

IGC makes changes in corn, soybean supply outlook

Council makes only minor tweaks in wheat

MarketsFarm — There are some notable changes to the monthly report from the International Grains Council (IGC), primarily in corn and soybeans. The London-based IGC on Thursday issued new supply and demand estimates, pointing to reduced agricultural production such as in Argentina as the main reason for the changes. That’s despite increased output in Brazil […] Read more


This is a good example of a uniform canola plant stand. The even germination across the field indicates the crop was seeded properly and is making efficient use of fertility. With this uniform stand, producers will get effective use and good coverage of fungicide and insecticide applications. The uniform stand also ensures even maturity at harvest.

Tips to achieve a uniform canola crop

Slow down and pay attention to details to get the most out of crop inputs

There are all kinds of factors that will affect the success of any seeded crop. Some factors can be controlled, others can’t. Getting proper stand establishment certainly tops the list of key production practices for all crops, especially for optimizing canola yields, says an agronomist with the Canola Council of Canada (CCC). Having the proper […] Read more

Four years of plot and field research by Farming Smarter to study the use of a precision planter, such as this Monosem planter to seed grains, oilseeds and pulse crops, show overall the planters produce an even crop stand and good yields particularly on 12-inch row spacing.

In search of a uniform crop stand

Seeding research and technology are working to help farmers increase yields with potential to reduce input costs

If uniformity of stand establishment is a key element to optimizing crop yield, is one seeding system better than another? Should you run out and buy something new? According to Jason Casselman, an agronomy specialist with the Canola Council of Canada, farmers can make gains in the uniformity of their canola stands just by paying […] Read more


Nutrien’s head office building in Saskatoon. (Liam O’Connor photo)

Nutrien misses profit estimates amid higher fertilizer prices

CF Industries also books lower sales

Reuters — Canadian fertilizer maker Nutrien on Wednesday forecast lower-than-expected 2023 earnings and posted fourth-quarter profit below Wall Street estimates, sending shares down 2.6 per cent in extended trading. While higher fertilizer prices dented demand in early second-half of last year, a fall in prices later in the year did not boost demand as farmers […] Read more

CBOT March 2023 soft red winter wheat with 20-day moving average, MGEX March 2023 hard red spring wheat (yellow high/low/close) and K.C. March 2023 hard red winter wheat (orange H/L/C). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Wheat, corn, soy down on stronger U.S. dollar, interest rate fears

Uncertainty over Black Sea deal underpins corn, wheat

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat futures fell more than two per cent on Wednesday and corn and soybeans followed the trend lower, pressured by a stronger U.S. dollar and fears of more interest rate hikes by the Federal Reserve, analysts said. Fundamental news for grains and oilseeds was thin, leaving markets stuck within recent […] Read more