Life after the de-listing of the ICE futures

Life after the de-listing of the ICE futures

The on-farm impact of the de-listing of milling wheat, durum and barley contracts

In the last issue I wrote about the de-listing of the ICE milling wheat, durum and barley future and options contracts. These contracts were introduced in 2012, then de-listed on October 26, 2017. Now, let’s address three reasons why you should care. Reason 1: The loss of these contracts gives you one less tool to […] Read more

grain bins

Time to re-evaluate your grain marketing plan

With the crop in the bin, should you be selling now or holding out for higher prices?

This year’s fall weather was exceptional and most harvesting was done in record time. The biggest surprise I heard from producers is that yields were well above expectations. Many said they figured the yield monitors on their combines were out to lunch when they saw the numbers! This brings a good problem: most producers, even […] Read more


Soft white spring wheat.

A look back at pricing your wheat

Marketing grain is always a risky business. Here’s what could have happened

Spring seeding and combining went better than expected for the most part across the Prairies and the crops are off to a decent start. Excess rains in some regions and dryness in others has caused some concerns but overall the crop is in and growing and looking good. Weather forecasters are watching the current La […] Read more

For every specialty crop, there is a special process to becoming a contract grower.

Lock in sales with a special contract

Looking for a way to differentiate your crop from the rest of the pack?

Are you looking for ways to change your marketing situation? Differentiate your product from everything else at the elevator? Signing special contracts with specific companies is one way to do this. Avena Food pays its contact holders premium prices for gluten-free oats. Warburtons, a U.K. bread company, pays premiums for specialty wheat grown by contract holding […] Read more


truck dumping its load of grain

Choose a buyer carefully when selling your grain

You’ve kept your crop safe from insects and disease. Now keep it safe from the risk of not payment default

There is plenty of risk to producing a crop, particularly one of high yield and quality. However, production risk is only one of the risks of grain farming. There are also legal, personal, storage and marketing risks. In marketing your crop, you may follow all the steps — know your costs per unit of production, […] Read more

Make sure you get paid

You’ve grown a great crop and booked a good price. Now make sure you actually get paid

Before you shop a truckload of grain, it’s worth knowing a bit about who you’re selling to and what you’ve got in the bin. Doing your homework could make the difference between getting paid fairly and perhaps not getting paid at all. Under the Canada Grain Act, grain dealers and elevators, including primary and terminal […] Read more