Yuri and Oleksiy, farmers wearing body armours and helmets, prepare for field work in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region amid Russia’s invasion, on April 26, 2022. (Photo: Reuters/Ueslei Marcelino)

Worsening global food security needs Ukraine, Russia production, UN chief says

Abuja | Reuters — U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Wednesday the problem of global food security could not be solved without restoring Ukrainian agricultural production and Russian food and fertilizer output to the world market. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February has added to volatility in financial markets, sending commodity prices higher and affecting logistics, […] Read more

CF Industries’ UAN plant at Donaldsonville in Louisiana. The company also makes UAN at plants in Ontario, Iowa and Oklahoma. (Thyssenkrupp-industrial-solutions.com)

CF Industries profit soars as sanctions raise fertilizer prices

Chicago | Reuters — CF Industries on Wednesday reported quarterly earnings climbed 485 per cent as the fertilizer maker ramped up U.S. shipments after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine catapulted prices for crop nutrients. Top fertilizer producers including CF, Nutrien and Mosaic Co. have benefited as sanctions on exporters Russia and ally Belarus limited global supplies […] Read more


Nutrien’s Patience Lake potash facility, about 15 km east of Saskatoon. (Nutrien.com)

Nutrien may further raise potash output as sanctions curb other supplies

Chicago | Reuters — Canada’s Nutrien, the world’s largest fertilizer company, is weighing further increases to potash production as sanctions continue to limit shipments from Russia and Belarus, interim CEO Ken Seitz said on Tuesday. Prices of crop nutrients such as potash have skyrocketed as sanctions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine have disrupted […] Read more

File photo of flooded cropland in the RM of St. Andrews, north of Winnipeg. (Manitoba Co-operator photo)

Pulse weekly outlook: Wet weather delays southern Manitoba seeding

Soybeans could take yield hit if planted in June

MarketsFarm — Another blast of heavy precipitation across southern Manitoba, the third in as many weeks, has already delayed seeding for pulses, according to a production specialist. Laura Schmidt, a production specialist for Manitoba Pulse and Soybean Growers, said the 40 to 50 millimetres of rain across the region on April 29-30 all but guaranteed […] Read more


(Nutrien video screengrab via YouTube)

Nutrien bolsters profit forecast on surging fertilizer prices

Fertilizer sector set for biggest profits in years

Reuters — Nutrien Ltd. on Monday raised its full-year earnings forecast well above estimates after posting a more than 10-fold jump in first-quarter profit, as the world’s largest fertilizer company benefits strongly from soaring prices of crop nutrients. Prices of essential crop nutrients such as potash and phosphate skyrocketed in the quarter, touching near-record levels, […] Read more

(File photo by Lorraine Stevenson)

Elevator declarations changing Aug. 1

CGC says the move won't harm Canada's grain quality assurance system

The declarations of eligibility western Canadian farmers sign before delivering to elevators, effective Aug. 1, will no longer include crops that don’t require end-use quality assessment as part of the variety registration process. “It’s not a big change,” Canadian Grain Commission (CGC) spokesman Remi Gosselin said in an interview Thursday. Wade Sobkowich, executive director of […] Read more


File photo of lentils being moved into bins in Saskatchewan. (Bobloblaw/iStock/Getty Images)

Pulse weekly outlook: Lentil acres likely up in 2022

Other pulses likely down, though

MarketsFarm — Statistics Canada released its first survey-based crop acreage estimates of 2022 on Tuesday, reporting that while more lentil acres may be planted this spring, other pulses are expected to have their seeded area shrink. The national data agency projected 4.49 million acres of lentils will be planted in Canada this year, a 4.2 […] Read more

(Dave Bedard photo)

Drought fears, fertilizer may affect Canadian acreage estimates

MarketsFarm — Traders and analysts awaiting Statistics Canada’s first survey-based acreage report for the 2022-23 crop year on Tuesday believe competition amongst crops — as well as their dependence on fertilizer, and the possibility of another drought this summer — will be determining factors. Canola stands as the best representation of traders’ concerns. Despite reaching […] Read more


(iStock/Getty Images)

Pulse weekly outlook: No worries about delayed planting in Manitoba

'Farmers can get stuff in pretty quick'

MarketsFarm — Despite an influx of snow across southern Manitoba, with more precipitation in the forecast for this week, a provincial pulse specialist isn’t too concerned about the potential for late planting of pulse crops. “The moisture is welcome, but it’s not the weather we would like to see at this time of the year. […] Read more