(Vonkara1/E+/Getty Images)

Opinions divided ahead of StatCan production report

Agency's previous estimates model-based

MarketsFarm — Ahead of the crop production report from Statistics Canada (StatCan) due out Friday, trade expectations are above and below what the federal agency estimated in September. In August, and in September, StatCan issued production reports based on a satellite model and without any input from farmers filling out surveys. That has caused some […] Read more

CBOT March 2023 soft red winter wheat with 20-day moving average (dark green 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 rises on short-covering, China optimism

Wheat still lost nearly 10 per cent in November; soybeans rise on fresh China sales, corn down

Winnipeg | Reuters — Chicago wheat rose for a second straight session on Wednesday, supported by end-of-the-month short-covering and investor hopes that China will loosen COVID-19 rules, although the grain declined sharply in November on competition from Black Sea supplies. Soybeans also ticked up, touching a two-month peak, as optimism that China will ease restrictions […] Read more


Corn in progress just east of Blumenort, Man. on July 20, 2022. (Dave Bedard photo)

Mexico open to deal with U.S. on GMO corn

U.S. corn growers seek clarity over ban

Mexico City | Reuters — Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Tuesday he is seeking a deal with Washington after the United States threatened legal action over Mexico’s plan to ban genetically modified (GMO) corn in 2024. After meeting with Mexican officials on Monday, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack said Mexico’s decree […] Read more



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

U.S. grains: Wheat inches higher on hopes China will ease COVID-19 measures

Corn slips on export demand concerns

Winnipeg | Reuters — Chicago wheat finished slightly higher on Tuesday after the previous day’s three-month low, as investors saw hope that China would ease measures to counter COVID-19 infections after rare protests in the country unsettled markets a day earlier. Soybeans also gained on optimism about China, but corn dipped over concerns about export […] Read more

File photo of a BNSF grain train crossing the Gassman Coulee trestle near Minot, North Dakota. (Photo courtesy BNSF Railway)

Biden asks Congress to avert U.S. rail strike

U.S. president warns of dire economic impact

Washington | Reuters — U.S. President Joe Biden on Monday called on Congress to intervene to avert a potential rail strike that could occur as early as Dec. 9, warning of a catastrophic economic impact if railroad service ground to a halt. Biden asked lawmakers to adopt the tentative deal announced in September “without any […] Read more


(Dave Bedard photo)

Fund position back to net short in canola

MGEX wheat also shifts to net short: CFTC

MarketsFarm — Heavy long-liquidation in ICE Futures canola saw the managed money speculative position flip back to a net short after a brief flirtation with a net long, according to the latest Commitment of Traders (CoT) report from the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). The weekly report was delayed one day due to last […] Read more

CBOT March 2023 soft red winter wheat (candlesticks) with 20-day moving average (green 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 tumbles to three-month low in broad sell-off

Soybeans rise on export sales, renewable fuel talk

Winnipeg | Reuters — Chicago wheat fell on Monday to a three-month low, as commodity and equity markets dropped on concern about the impact of rare protests in China against its strict anti-COVID-19 policy. Cheap supplies from Russia and elsewhere in the Black Sea are adding competition for U.S. wheat, and prices have slipped to […] Read more


File photo of Black Sea port facilities at Odesa, Ukraine. (Leskas/iStock/Getty Images)

Russia denies slowing inspections for Ukraine grain ships

Ukraine alleges slow pace 'probably with intent'

Ankara | Reuters — Russia’s ambassador to Turkey said on Friday that Moscow sends its representatives to more ship inspections in Istanbul per day than mandated under the Black Sea grain deal, rejecting a Ukrainian accusation that Russia is slowing down the process. Ukraine’s grain exports have proceeded more slowly since a U.N.-brokered deal was […] Read more

Flags in front of the European Commission headquarters in Brussels. (Inakiantonana/E+/Getty Images)

EU cuts estimate of drought-hit maize crop, raises import outlook

Commission cuts soft wheat exports, raises imports

Paris | Reuters — The European Commission on Friday cut its estimate of this year’s drought-hit maize harvest in the European Union to a new 15-year low while again raising its projection for this season’s maize imports. European maize (corn) crops endured severe drought and several heatwaves during the crucial summer growth period. The Commission […] Read more