CBOT December 2022 wheat (candlesticks) with Bollinger bands (20,2), MGEX December 2022 spring wheat (yellow line) and K.C. December 2022 hard red wheat (orange line). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Wheat, corn, soybeans bounce ahead of long weekend

U.S. dollar down on labour market data

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat, corn and soybean futures rose on Friday on a short-covering bounce ahead of a three-day U.S. holiday weekend, led by strength in crude oil and other commodities as fears waned about aggressive interest rate hikes from the Federal Reserve. A rally in world stocks fizzled, but the U.S. dollar […] Read more

David Lobb, a U of M soil science professor and researcher, considers soil organic matter and crop yield the two main indicators of soil health. He says soil organic matter levels are vital to crop production. Lobb blames the loss of topsoil and organic matter primarily on erosion.

The biggest bang for your buck? Improve soil organic matter

Soil organic matter is vital for crop production and soil health — here’s what it does, why and how to improve it on hilltops and knolls

If you can tackle only one thing on your farm to enhance crop yields, let it be ways to improve soil organic matter. That may be somewhat of an oversimplification considering all of the factors that affect yield, but protecting and, where needed, improving soil organic matter levels may deliver the biggest bang for the […] Read more


CBOT December 2022 wheat (candlesticks, right column) with MGEX and K.C. December 2022 wheats (yellow and orange lines, right column) and October 2022 West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude (gray line, left column). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Wheat, corn, soy fall on economic concerns

U.S. Midwest's harvest nears

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat futures fell more than four per cent and corn and soybeans slipped on Thursday on mounting concerns about a global economic slowdown, analysts said, just as the Midwest crop harvest nears. Wall Street stocks came under pressure as data showing that U.S. manufacturing grew steadily in August rattled some […] Read more

Photo: File

Feed weekly outlook: Grain prices start moving upward

New-crop barley already en route to feedlots

MarketsFarm — Hot temperatures and a lack of precipitation in recent days are helping Alberta growers make significant progress, according to Lethbridge-based Market Place Commodities’ president Jim Beusekom. “In southern Alberta, (the harvest) is doing just fine,” he said. “We had some rain last week. Some (had) more, some less. Last week limited how much […] Read more


The World Trade Organization (WTO) headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland on Oct. 28, 2020. (Photo: Reuters/Denis Balibouse)

Canada, China agree to suspend WTO canola dispute

Lifting of canola ban renders case moot

Berlin | Reuters — Canada and China have agreed to suspend proceedings against Chinese measures affecting the importation of Canadian canola seed, according to a World Trade Organization (WTO) complaint on Thursday. The WTO Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) panel suspended its work as of Tuesday, the complaint said. Work can be suspended at any time […] Read more



CBOT December 2022 corn (candlesticks) with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages (yellow, orange and dark green lines). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Corn dips but still posts monthly gain

CBOT soy lower, wheat up

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn futures declined for a second session on Wednesday on profit-taking at the end of the month and mounting recession worries, but the market nonetheless gained eight per cent during August due to eroding U.S. and European crop prospects. Soybean futures ended lower after a back-and-forth session. But wheat turned […] Read more

ICE Futures November 2022 canola (candlesticks) with Bollinger bands (20,2). (Barchart)

ICE weekly outlook: Crush margins guiding canola demand

MarketsFarm — Enormous canola crush margins will lead to increased demand for the Canadian oilseed, according to MarketsFarm’s director of markets and weather Bruce Burnett. As of Tuesday, the nearby November-October margins were estimated at $215.51 per tonne, while the same position for November-October 2023 now stands at $124.48/tonne. This time last year their margins […] Read more



People cook food beside their damaged house following rains and floods during Pakistan’s monsoon season at Jafarabad, about 400 km north of Hyderabad, on Aug. 28, 2022. (Photo: Reuters/Amer Hussain)

Produce prices spike in flood-hit Pakistan as food crisis looms

Flooding wrecks crops, hampers logistics

Lahore | Reuters — Vegetable and fruit prices have soared in markets across Pakistan as devastating rains ruin crops and disrupt supplies, an early sign of how the worst floods in decades are creating food shortages at a time of financial crisis. Pakistan’s 220 million people are already facing rampant inflation, with consumer prices up […] Read more