CBOT December 2019 corn with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Soy, corn close higher

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean and corn futures settled up on Thursday, as traders squared their positions ahead of a U.S. government report next week expected to clarify how many acres were planted of the two crops. Dealers said a rebound in energy prices provided some support, although there remained ongoing concerns in the […] Read more


U.S. grains: Futures inch up after choppy trading day

U.S. grains: Futures inch up after choppy trading day

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn and soybean futures rose on Wednesday as traders assessed U.S. Midwest rain forecasts after a recent dry spell, and awaited an expected revision in U.S. planting estimates following spring rains. Wheat recovered from Tuesday’s technical-driven losses, despite healthy Northern Hemisphere harvests and a steady dollar keeping a lid on […] Read more

U.S. President Donald Trump appears with China’s President Xi Jinping at the start of their bilateral meeting at the G20 leaders summit in Osaka on June 29, 2019. (File photo: Reuters/Kevin Lamarque)

U.S. farmers suffer ‘body blow’ as China slams door on farm purchases

Beijing | Reuters — Chinese companies have stopped buying U.S. agricultural products, China’s commerce ministry said on Tuesday, a blow to U.S. farmers who have already seen their exports slashed by the more than year-old trade war. China may impose additional tariffs on U.S. farm products bought shortly before the purchase ban took effect, China’s […] Read more


Why soybeans need inoculant and how some crops fix nitrogen without it

Why soybeans need inoculant and how some crops fix nitrogen without it

Plus, never do this with inoculant

Next to water, nitrogen is usually the most limiting nutrient in crop production. In prairie agriculture, by far the major source of fixed nitrogen for crop production is nitrogen produced industrially via the Haber process. But nitrogen fixation by legumes is also a very important economic factor in world agriculture. The nitrogen-fixing family of plants, […] Read more






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Federal report expects canola output down, wheat up

MarketsFarm — Expectations for canola production in Canada were revised downward Friday by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC). AAFC has now estimated Canadian farmers will produce 18.575 million tonnes of canola in 2019, down about 8.7 per cent from its previous estimate. Earlier this week, MarketsFarm analyst Bruce Burnett predicted canola production would be down […] Read more

CBOT September 2019 corn futures with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Corn, soy gain as market wrestles with export, crop prospects

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago corn and soybean futures settled up on Friday as investors weighed trade talks between the United States and China and expected cooler U.S. weather against uncertainty over acreage levels following a rain-soaked spring. Some analysts said there may be some technical buying pushing up futures, especially soybeans. They also looked […] Read more