CBOT November 2021 soybeans (candlesticks) with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages (yellow, light green and black lines). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Soybean, corn futures rise

Chicago winter wheat futures weak

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Board of Trade soybean futures rose on Thursday, supported by signs of strong exports as more recently harvested supplies became available, traders said. Corn futures were firm, with investors staking out positions ahead of a key government report that will update the forecast for U.S. production. Winter wheat futures were […] Read more

The Canola Council of Canada says hot days and warm nights from bud to mid-flowering stages can have a devastating effect on canola yield.

Nexera offers free heat blast insurance on canola until October 29, 2021

Fully automatic coverage with a payout as temperatures rise

Western Canadian farmers thinking about growing Nexera canola have until the end of October to take advantage of free crop insurance coverage providing up to $100 per acre in protection against heat blast during the 2022 growing season.  Corteva Agriscience has introduced this first-of-its-kind insurance coverage, known as the Heat Advantage program, providing insurance of […] Read more


ICE November 2021 canola (candlesticks) with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages (yellow, dark green and black lines). (Barchart)

ICE weekly outlook: Canola feeling the energy

Canola riding on fuels' bullish momentum

MarketsFarm — ICE Futures canola contracts moved steadily higher over the week ended Wednesday, hitting the top-end of a three month trading range. While tight Canadian supplies due to a Prairie drought have underpinned the market for some time, the latest strength and any future direction may be more closely tied to movement in energy […] Read more

The USDA building in Washington, D.C. (Art Wager/iStock/Getty Images)

CBOT weekly outlook: U.S. corn, soybean carryovers could increase

Declines expected for wheat stocks

MarketsFarm — Ahead of the next supply and demand report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), expectations are for corn and soybean ending stocks to increase, according to Steve Georgy, president of Allendale Inc., in McHenry, Ill. “The wheat market could see carryout numbers decline slightly on this report,” he added. USDA is scheduled […] Read more


File photo of Mekelle, the capital city of Ethiopia’s Tigray region. (Yuzu2020/iStock/Getty Images)

U.N. urges Ethiopia to allow unhindered aid as hunger kills

'Ethiopian children are starving'

Reuters — U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on Ethiopia’s government on Wednesday to allow the urgent delivery of humanitarian aid to millions in the country’s north “without hindrance” as U.N. officials report deaths from hunger. During a U.N. Security Council meeting, Guterres urged Ethiopia’s government to allow “unrestricted movement of desperately needed fuel, cash, communications […] Read more

Wheat being loaded onto a cargo ship in Vancouver in 2011. (File photo: Reuters/Ben Nelms)

Exports tumble as supplies simply not there

'There's very little to sell'

MarketsFarm — Cereal and oilseed exports out of Canada nosedived in August just as the 2021-22 marketing began, according to the monthly export report from the Canadian Grain Commission (CGC). At about 2.24 million tonnes, total grain exports were down 38.5 per cent overall compared to those in August 2020. “There’s very little to sell. […] Read more


CBOT December 2021 corn (candlesticks) with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages (yellow, orange and dark green lines). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Corn, soybean futures fall

Chicago wheat futures firm

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Board of Trade corn and soybean futures fell on Wednesday on seasonal harvest pressure and forecasts that should allow U.S. farmers to continue to make good progress with the cutting of their crops, traders said. “Harvest should continue to expand with weather allowing for quick progress with yields holding up […] Read more

The concept of using biostimulants on crops isn’t new, but farmers remain cautious, realizing all that glitters may not be gold.

Farmers still cautious about biostimulants

Farmer Panel: Some benefits observed, but questions continue about if, when and where they produce consistent results

Western Canadian farmers aren’t exactly stampeding to crop supply retailers looking for biostimulant products that offer to improve crop production. That’s the view of at least a sampling of Prairie producers when asked for this September’s farmer panel on what they think about biological and biostimulant products applied to soil, seed or as foliar treatments. Producers […] Read more