Crops & Production Tips

CBOT March 2022 wheat (candlesticks) with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages (yellow, orange and dark green lines) and K.C. March 2022 wheat (blue line). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Wheat up on export business

Corn, soy firm ahead of USDA data

By Julie Ingwersen, GFM Network News January 11, 2022

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat futures rose about one per cent on Tuesday on a pickup in global export business and short-covering ahead of several key U.S. Department of Agriculture reports due on Wednesday, traders said. Corn and soybean futures edged higher ahead of the reports, which will include updated estimates of U.S. 2021 […] Read more

File photo of a chickpea crop in India. (Nikhil Patil/iStock/Getty Images)

Crops, Markets, Pulses

Pulse weekly outlook: Chickpea prices reverse direction

Markets correcting lower, buyer says

By GFM Network News January 11, 2022

MarketsFarm — The chickpea market in Western Canada is undergoing a correction, according to the manager of a pulse buying and processing company in Saskatchewan. With the exception of Desi chickpeas, all varieties of the pulse have seen prices go down two to five cents per pound over the past month, according to Prairie Ag […] Read more

Crops, Markets

Highs may be in on flax as attention turns to new crop

By Phil Franz-Warkentin, GFM Network News January 11, 2022

MarketsFarm — The highs may be in for flaxseed bids in Western Canada, with end-users covered for the time being as attention turns to the 2022 crop. “(Canadian flax) is expensive relative to other markets,” said analyst Marlene Boersch of Mercantile Consulting, speaking via Zoom in Winnipeg on Tuesday to the annual Crop Production Week […] Read more

File photo of wheat plants in Afghanistan. (PK Ahmad/iStock/Getty Images)

Crops, Reuters, Spring Wheat

Taliban increase payment in wheat as economic crisis deepens

By Reuters, GFM Network News January 11, 2022

Kabul | Reuters — Afghanistan’s Taliban administration said on Tuesday it was expanding its ‘food for work’ program, in which it uses donated wheat to pay thousands of public sector employees instead of cash as a financial crisis intensifies. Wheat, largely donated by India to the previous U.S.-backed Kabul government, is being used to pay […] Read more

To make a soil moisture map, one must understand soil moisture.

Columns, Crops

Les Henry: Soil moisture maps. How it all happened

The adventure began more than 40 years ago

By Les Henry January 11, 2022

The feature “Catalogue houses: Eaton’s and others and how it all happened” in the November 2021 issue of Grainews, gave a blow-by-blow account of how my book on the topic came about. The response has been tremendous, and many thanks to readers. Your letters, emails and book orders are very much appreciated. In this piece, […] Read more

Crops, Reuters

U.S. aims to double cover crop planting to address climate change

Farmers in 11 states to be eligible for program

By GFM Network News January 10, 2022

Chicago | Reuters — The United States aims to double the country’s cover crop plantings to 30 million acres by 2030 under a new Department of Agriculture (USDA) conservation program launched on Monday. The agency’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) will spend US$38 million to help farmers in 11 states plant crops at a time […] Read more

CBOT March 2022 soybeans (candlesticks) with 20-day moving average (green line) and ICE March 2022 canola (yellow line, left column). (Barchart)

Crops, Markets, Reuters, Weather

U.S. grains: Soy, corn sag on South American weather outlooks

Wheat firms

By Julie Ingwersen, GFM Network News January 10, 2022

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean and corn futures fell on Monday on forecasts calling for much-needed rains in dry areas of South America, along with long liquidation ahead of several key U.S. government reports due at mid-week, analysts said. Wheat futures firmed on short-covering and the unwinding of inter-market spreads. Chicago Board of Trade […] Read more

Anhydrous ammonia is applied in a mid-row band.

Crops, Features

Increase fertilizer efficiency to reduce emissions

Soil nutrition experts discuss how to go about it

By Mark Halsall January 10, 2022

In a bid to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the Trudeau government took steps in 2021 to lower emissions from on-farm fertilizer use. These measures included setting a voluntary emissions reduction target of 30 per cent from 2020 levels by 2030, which has some producers worried their farms may suffer if it means having to cut […] Read more

Crops, Reuters

Yara to stop buying potash from Belarus due to sanctions

Fertilizer firm buys 10-15 per cent of country's potash output

By GFM Network News January 10, 2022

Oslo | Reuters — Norwegian fertilizer maker Yara said on Monday it will wind down purchases of potash from Belarus by April 1 as international sanctions made it impossible to continue the trade. Yara estimates that it buys 10-15 per cent of the annual output of state-owned Belaruskali, one of the world’s largest producers of […] Read more

Canola, Crops, Markets

Funds holding record-large net long position in canola

By Phil Franz-Warkentin, GFM Network News January 8, 2022

MarketsFarm — Fund traders remain bullish in the canola market, growing their net long position to a new record in the latest Commitment of Traders report compiled by the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). Managed money fund traders were holding a net long position in ICE Futures canola of 68,140 contracts as of Jan. […] Read more

GFM Network News

U.S. livestock: Cattle rebound on technical buying

U.S. grains: Soybeans fall as rapid harvest overshadows China trade hopes

Good weather pushes Alberta harvest along

Crops