
Weather

U.S. grains: Corn trims gains on technical selling
Wheat slides as harvests face decreased demand; soybeans drop on down meal market
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago corn futures ended slightly lower on Tuesday after a day of positive trading after the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reported decreased crop conditions due to recent hot weather across the western corn belt. Wheat slid as winter harvests continue, while soybeans remained lower as weak soymeal trade overwhelmed gains […] Read more

No timeline yet set for BRM reforms
Changes put on hold along with ministers' meeting
Ottawa — Federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau has confirmed any reforms to business risk management (BRM) programs are being delayed. That confirmation came during a wide-ranging media availability Bibeau held Tuesday. In March, Tom Rosser, an assistant deputy minister at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), said the government is looking at a number of options […] Read more

ICE weekly outlook: Attention on weather after short-covering rally in canola
MarketsFarm — ICE Futures canola contracts have recovered off of lows hit at the beginning of the month, with speculative short-covering a feature as attention in the markets turns to North American growing conditions. While canola ran into some resistance Wednesday, there may still be more room to the upside. Canadian canola is at a […] Read more

More ‘murder hornets’ found in B.C., Washington
Findings suggest some were able to overwinter
Reuters/Staff — Officials in British Columbia and Washington state have confirmed new sightings of the Asian giant hornet, dubbed the “murder hornet,” indicating the invasive, predatory insect survived the winter in the Vancouver area and U.S. Pacific Northwest. The stinging hornet, whose queens can grow as large as 2-1/2 inches in length, could potentially pose […] Read more

El Nino, La Nina patterns not seen prevailing during summer
London | Reuters — Sea surface temperatures in the tropical Pacific remain neutral, meaning that neither El Niño nor La Niña weather patterns are prevailing, the U.N. World Meteorological Organisation said on Thursday. The El Niño pattern brings a warming of ocean surface temperatures in the eastern and central Pacific every few years, and is […] Read more

U.S. grains: Corn, wheat up as weather, currency spark short-covering
Hong Kong row tempers hopes of China demand for U.S. soy
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn futures jumped on Thursday to a five-week high as a weaker dollar, forecasts for hotter, drier weather in the Midwest corn belt and a further rebound in ethanol production triggered bargain buying and short-covering by managed funds. Wheat futures also rallied on expanding dryness across the Plains wheat belt […] Read more

U.S. grains: Soybeans firm on slowed planting progress
Wheat rangebound as Northern Hemisphere weather watched
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures firmed on Wednesday as a slowdown in plantings in the Midwest and forecasts for more disruptive weather lifted prices to two-week highs, although technical selling kept a lid on gains. Corn also edged higher after the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reported slower-than-anticipated planting in a weekly crop […] Read more

EU plans to halve pesticide use, expand organic farming
Brussels | Reuters — The European Commission said on Wednesday it planned to increase organic farming and cut agricultural chemical use to protect the environment, proposals welcomed by green groups but which farmers said would make them less flexible. Agriculture is a contributor to climate change – producing around 10 per cent of EU greenhouse […] Read more

CEBA expanded to farms, other ‘owner-operated’ businesses
Program offers zero-interest, partly-forgivable loans
Farms and other “owner-operated” businesses with little or no payroll may soon be able to get in on a federal program offering zero-interest loans to businesses up against pandemic-related drops in revenue. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Tuesday announced an expansion of eligibility under the Canada Emergency Business Account (CEBA) to also include “sole proprietors […] Read more

Ontario stretches production insurance deadlines
Three already-passed deadlines bumped to June 1
Ontario farmers who missed their April 1, May 1 and/or May 10 deadlines for production insurance filings now have until June 1 to enroll or make coverage changes. Agricorp, the provincial farm program delivery agency, announced the extension Thursday. The extension gives farmers the “time and flexibility to make business decisions and to assess their […] Read more