Lentil plants in bloom. (BasieB/iStock/Getty Images)

Pulse weekly outlook: Better growing conditions despite dryness, smoke

Continued smoky skies could slow crop development

MarketsFarm — While dry conditions persist across the Prairies, the current situation for pulses is not as bad as during the two previous springs, according to Pulse Canada’s director of market access and trade policy. Mac Ross said dryness is largely evident across Western Canada and many crops are still below their five-year averages for […] Read more

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

CBOT weekly outlook: Chicago soy, corn find chart support

Pre-Memorial Day positioning expected

MarketsFarm — Soybean and corn futures at the Chicago Board of Trade were testing lows in mid-May but appeared to have found some support for the time being. “We’re getting a little technical bounce off these lows,” said John Weyer, director of commercial hedging with Walsh Trading in Chicago. He had expected July soybeans to […] Read more


File photo of a federal office building in downtown Winnipeg. (Dave Bedard photo)

AAFC projecting canola ending stocks to tighten

New-crop wheat ending stocks figure boosted

MarketsFarm — Canadian canola ending stocks in both the current marketing year and upcoming 2023-24 season will be tighter than earlier estimates, according to supply/demand projections from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) on Tuesday. Factoring in Statistics Canada’s latest acreage estimates and its data for stocks as of March 31 — figures both released in […] Read more

A canola flower midge larva inside a galled flower. Larvae are initially white in colour and turn a darker yellow colour as they feed and develop.

Canola flower midge damage less severe than swede midge

Newly discovered species shouldn’t worry canola producers

Swede midge is a devastating insect pest of canola and related cruciferous vegetables and is a problem in Eastern Canada. In North America, swede midge was first noticed in Ontario and the eastern United States. It has affected canola production in Eastern Canada, in some cases leading to failed crops. Swede midge (Contarinia nasturtii) is […] Read more



(Dave Bedard photo)

FCC offers new credit line against ‘current economic environment’

Ag lender to waive loan processing fees

Farm Credit Canada’s recent outreach to specific agrifood sectors hit by unusual environmental conditions has now extended to those hit by the broader “economic environment.” The federal ag lender on Tuesday said it will offer an unsecured credit line of up to $500,000 with loan processing fees waived, “to help producers, agribusinesses and agri-food operations […] Read more


(File photo by Dave Bedard)

Speculative short position declines in canola

Traders' net long in CBOT soy also reduced

MarketsFarm — The speculative short position in canola continued to shrink during the week ended May 15, as speculators bought back short positions and put on new longs, according to the latest Commitments of Traders report from the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). As of May 15, 2023, the net managed money short position […] Read more

Aerial view of a breakwater near Ukraine’s Black Sea port of Pivdennyi (formerly Yuzhny) near Odesa. (Viktor Ketal/iStock/Getty Images)

Russia preventing Black Sea grain deal port from operating, Ukraine says

Black Sea Grain Initiative was extended last week

Kyiv | Reuters — The Ukrainian port of Pivdennyi has halted operations because Russia is not allowing ships to enter it, in effect cutting it out of a deal allowing safe Black Sea grain exports, a Ukrainian official said on Tuesday. The Black Sea Grain Initiative signed by Russia and Ukraine last July, and extended […] Read more


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

U.S. grains: Wheat up off two-year low, pulls corn higher

Soybeans down on profit-taking

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat futures rose 2.6 per cent on Tuesday, bouncing from their lowest in more than two years, on concerns that Ukraine’s exports were being restricted despite the extension of the Black Sea export deal, traders said. The gains in wheat lent support to corn futures, while soybeans retreated on profit-taking […] Read more

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

U.S. grains: Corn, soy futures rally

Wheat up off lowest level since March 2021

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean and corn futures rallied on Monday and wheat futures firmed as a round of bargain buying supported commodities prices after a bearish global supply picture pushed prices sharply lower this month. The benchmark Chicago Board of Trade wheat contract dropped below $6 a bushel for the first time in […] Read more