CBOT May 2021 soyoil with Bollinger (20,2) bands. (Barchart)

CBOT weekly outlook: Futures very likely to remain on upswing

Soyoil driving crop commodity gains

MarketsFarm — As prices rise on the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT), the opportunity for profit-taking becomes more prevalent. That said, values are very likely to continue increasing overall going into the week of April 26, according to analyst Terry Reilly of Futures International in Chicago. “By the end of this week, I do expect […] Read more


CBOT May 2021 corn (candlesticks) with 20- and 40-day moving averages (yellow and orange lines). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Corn, soy climb to multi-year highs

Tight supplies, weather woes supportive; wheat also up

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn and soybean futures climbed to multi-year highs on Wednesday, supported by firm cash markets as old-crop supplies dwindle and weather issues threaten prospects for the 2021 harvests, analysts said. Wheat futures also rose, drawing additional support from frosty temperatures in the Plains and Midwest. Chicago Board of Trade May […] Read more

Mike Cowbrough is the weed management lead, field crops, with OMAFRA and co-curator of sprayers101.com. In the photo, Cowbrough shows his audience how mixing order can affect product compatibility in tank mixes.

Two more reasons to consider a jar test before tank mixing

It’s better to be safe than sorry when you combine multiple modes of action or include micronutrients in the tank

When tank mixing goes well, farmers can reduce the number of passes through their fields, saving equipment operating time and man-hours, reducing compaction and optimizing application timing. When tank mixing goes badly, however, the results can be disastrous. Because chemical companies won’t and, in fact, can’t test their products with every possible mixing option, making […] Read more


It appeared that some kind of leaf disease had infested the durum and Eric feared the whole crop was in jeopardy.

Crop advisor casebook: What’s causing severe leaf lesions in this durum crop?

A Crop Advisor's Solution from the April 20, 2021 issue of Grainews

Eric is a prosperous grower with a 10,000-acre grain farm near Verwood, Sask., which produces durum wheat, canola, chickpeas and lentils. In early June, he’d been out scouting his durum field for herbicide timing when he saw something that suggested he had a disease problem on his hands. It appeared some kind of leaf disease […] Read more

Screenshot from an Alberta Agriculture video profiling Innisfail-based pulse and grain handler W.A. Grain and Pulse Solutions. (Alberta Agriculture and Forestry via YouTube)

CGC suspends W.A. Grain’s licences to month-end

The firm, with facilities in Saskatchewan and Alberta, can't buy or sell grain in the interim

Licences for Prairie grain and pulse handler W.A. Grain and Pulse Solutions and its primary elevators in Alberta and Saskatchewan have been suspended by the Canadian Grain Commission (CGC). The suspensions took effect at 12:01 p.m. Tuesday, a CGC official said in an interview. “This means for a limited period of time (until April 30) […] Read more


A freight train at Manchac, La., about 75 km east of Baton Rouge. (CN.ca)

CN challenges CP with Kansas City Southern bid

KCS shareholder warns U.S. regulator 'doesn't like overlap'

Reuters — Canadian National Railway said on Tuesday it had offered to buy Kansas City Southern railroad for about US$33.7 billion, sending shares of the U.S. rail company soaring as investors anticipated a bidding war with Canadian Pacific Railway. CP had agreed a deal to acquire Kansas City Southern for about $25 billion last month […] Read more

(Dave Bedard photo)

Slight adjustments in AAFC’s April supply/demand report

MarketsFarm — Updated supply and demand estimates from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, released Tuesday, included only minor adjustments to balance sheets for most major crops. Statistics Canada releases its first survey-based acreage estimates for the upcoming growing season on Tuesday next week (April 27), which should lead to adjustments in subsequent supply/demand projections. Canola ending […] Read more


The Canadian Grain Commission building on Main Street in Winnipeg. (File photo)

Virtual town hall on federal Grain Act set for Friday

Time is running out on consultations, but the April 23 event gives farmers a chance to provide input

The deadline for submitting comments to the federal government’s review of the Canada Grain Act and Canadian Grain Commission (CGC) is April 30, but farmers can also offer feedback at a ‘virtual’ town hall meeting this Friday. The Grain Act and its regulations provide the framework for Canada’s grain quality assurance system and it’s the […] Read more

CBOT July 2021 soybeans with Bollinger (20,2) bands. (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Corn tops $6 a bushel, soy at seven-year high

CBOT wheat also books life-of-contract high

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn futures climbed to their highest in nearly eight years on Tuesday and soybean futures neared a seven-year high as tightening supplies supported cash markets and attracted speculative buying, analysts said. Worries about dry conditions curbing corn yields in Brazil and cold weather slowing germination of the 2021 U.S. crop […] Read more