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

U.S. grains: Chicago wheat climbs on new global supply concerns

Corn pressured by hopes of planting progress

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago wheat climbed for a second session on Thursday, underpinned by hot and dry weather across India that is likely to diminish that nation’s wheat export potential, while similar conditions erode U.S. winter wheat crops. Soybean and corn futures added after trading near even all day, as global supplies remain uncertain […] Read more

Screengrab from a CNH promotional video of its Magnum tractor assembly plant at Racine, Wisconsin. (CNH video)

Workers on strike at two U.S. CNH plants

Production of Magnum tractors, combine headers affected

Workers at two CNH Industrial manufacturing plants in the U.S. Midwest have hit the picket line after their previous contract expired without an agreed-upon replacement. United Auto Workers, whose locals 180 and 807 represent over 1,000 employees at CNH’s plants at Racine, Wisconsin and Burlington, Iowa respectively, said Monday the workers went on strike that […] Read more


(Frankpeters/iStock/Getty Images)

U.S. EPA proposal likes canola oil for renewable fuel

A final EPA decision is expected this summer, which, if favourable, could add new demand for Canada's premier oilseed

Canola has another feather in its cap — one which is expected to put more money in farmers’ pockets. In a ‘proposed decision’ released in April the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recognized canola oil’s value as an environment-friendly alternative to fossil-based fuel — a move that’s expected to add new demand for the crop. […] Read more

Yuri and Oleksiy, farmers wearing body armours and helmets, prepare for field work in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region amid Russia’s invasion, on April 26, 2022. (Photo: Reuters/Ueslei Marcelino)

Worsening global food security needs Ukraine, Russia production, UN chief says

Abuja | Reuters — U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Wednesday the problem of global food security could not be solved without restoring Ukrainian agricultural production and Russian food and fertilizer output to the world market. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February has added to volatility in financial markets, sending commodity prices higher and affecting logistics, […] Read more


CF Industries’ UAN plant at Donaldsonville in Louisiana. The company also makes UAN at plants in Ontario, Iowa and Oklahoma. (Thyssenkrupp-industrial-solutions.com)

CF Industries profit soars as sanctions raise fertilizer prices

Chicago | Reuters — CF Industries on Wednesday reported quarterly earnings climbed 485 per cent as the fertilizer maker ramped up U.S. shipments after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine catapulted prices for crop nutrients. Top fertilizer producers including CF, Nutrien and Mosaic Co. have benefited as sanctions on exporters Russia and ally Belarus limited global supplies […] Read more




CBOT July 2022 wheat (candlesticks) with 20-day moving average (dark green line), MGEX July 2022 spring wheat (yellow line) and K.C. July 2022 hard red wheat (orange line). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Chicago wheat jumps on India export concerns

Soy follows, corn mixed

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago wheat futures soared on Wednesday on reports that India, a major world producer, would restrict exports as a drought threatened its production even as the nation had hoped to fill a global export gap created by ongoing war in Ukraine. Soybean futures also gained, while corn traded near even, awaiting […] Read more


Kees Van Beek, SDI director at Southern Irrigation, examines some winter wheat plants grown with subsurface drip irrigation at Lawrence Vandervalk’s farm in Nobleford, Alta., in 2021.

A new way to water crops

Some Prairie farmers are opting for subsurface drip irrigation to boost crop production and increase water use efficiency

They’re a rarity in Western Canada right now, but that didn’t stop Lawrence Vandervalk from installing a subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) system on his farm in Alberta. “Technology doesn’t stand still. Technology keeps moving forward. This is just another step in the progression of irrigation, and I think it’s a big step,” says Vandervalk, who […] Read more

Nutrien’s Patience Lake potash facility, about 15 km east of Saskatoon. (Nutrien.com)

Nutrien may further raise potash output as sanctions curb other supplies

Chicago | Reuters — Canada’s Nutrien, the world’s largest fertilizer company, is weighing further increases to potash production as sanctions continue to limit shipments from Russia and Belarus, interim CEO Ken Seitz said on Tuesday. Prices of crop nutrients such as potash have skyrocketed as sanctions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine have disrupted […] Read more