Should you sell your grain now, or wait? Market dynamics can change quickly.

Grain markets in the new year

A post-harvest review of market movements, and pre-pricing your 2019 crop

Some key changes pre-Christmas changed the tone of the grain markets. Dry weather in India started to impact pulse markets, pushing Canadian pulse values higher on concerns that India’s crop will not be sufficient to meet their needs. Buyers are trying to secure product before the situation gets worse and prices run even higher. Australia’s […] Read more

Having a well-thought-out risk management plan for your farm can help you endure market volatility.

Farming can be a rough game to play

Protect yourself and your farm by making a risk management plan in advance

In the middle of September, the Prairies were hit with frost, rain and snow. If this were a sporting event and I were the referee that would be enough for me to eject Mother Nature from the game along with a two or three game suspension for an unsportsman-like conduct penalty as her actions were […] Read more


Pre-season contracts and changed plans

Pre-season contracts and changed plans

If you’ve changed seeding plans due to spring weather, check your contract obligations

So far, 2018 is setting up to be a year of extremes and challenges. There’s been record snow pack in the mountains and a drawn-out winter with excessive snow across the Prairies. Overland flooding across wide areas of the Prairies came during one of the latest springs in years. On April 21, I was in […] Read more

Are your grain deliveries protected?

Are your grain deliveries protected?

Know the full CGC rules to make sure your payment is protected when you make a sale

Not getting paid for the grain you deliver. It doesn’t happen often, but when it does, it’s a tough financial blow. Know the rules so you can protect yourself. The law in this area is in the hands of the Canada Grains Commission. Everything you read here in italics comes from the CGC website. Let’s […] Read more


Grain companies profit more from handling grain than from selling grain.

Grain marketing changes over time

After all of the changes over the past decades, do farmers have more price control?

When I started my first job at a farmer-owned co-op grain elevator 36 years ago, the only way a producer could get a price was by calling or stopping by the local elevator to see the daily bids. These only included grains like canola, rye and flax, as all wheats, barley and oats were under […] Read more

Grain marketing lessons learned the hard way

Grain marketing lessons learned the hard way

Events in 2017 gave us many opportunities to make grain marketing mistakes

I know some of you living in Alberta where the boom and bust cycle of the oil and gas industry is all too common will have seen a bumper sticker on an oilfield worker’s truck that says, “Lord, give me one more chance at another oil boom and I promise I won’t piss it all […] Read more


More producers are turing their attention online to help market their grain.  Photo: File/Lorraine Stevenson

Grain marketing shifting to a digital focus

Winnipeg | CNS Canada – The future of grain marketing includes access to a larger market for producers online, according to Lyle Ehrmantraut. “You have to be able to see the deals to make the best decisions. So without all the deals in front of you in a centralized system I don’t know how it’s […] Read more

Photo: iStock

Wheat storage a winner, says analyst

Winnipeg | CNS – As yields grow throughout North America and the physical size of the crop becomes larger, farmers who invest in storage bins now, stand to reap the rewards later. “Guys with space are winning,” said Kurt Ahrens, founder of Grainbot in Omaha, Nebraska. Speaking at the Grain World Conference in Winnipeg, he […] Read more


(Dave Bedard photo)

Viterra results offset Glencore’s improved year-end

Commodity giant Glencore’s efforts to ratchet down its debts paid off in fiscal 2016 — though “challenges” weighed on the ledger for its Viterra grain handling arm. Swiss-based Glencore on Thursday released preliminary results for 2016, booking net income attributable to equity holders of $1.379 billion on $152.948 billion in revenues, up from an $8.114 […] Read more

A post-long-harvest wrap up

A post-long-harvest wrap up

Some marketing advice in the wake of this year’s drawn out nightmare of a harvest

I truly hope that by the time you are reading this your harvest has been completed. If not, a spring harvest could bring financial challenges that you’ll need to address to ensure your farm doesn’t end up in undue financial stress because of lost income or a deferred, if any, crop insurance payment in spring. […] Read more