Comment: Keep your pencil sharp

“The most important tool on the farm is the pencil.” That was the best farming advice Mike Buis ever received, and it came from his grandfather. Buis recently conducted a virtual tour of his family’s Chatham, Ont., beef farm for the Canadian Farm Writers’ Federation. Coincidentally, a day or two before the Buis Beef tour, […] Read more

Photo: Thinkstock

U.S. grains: Wheat surges on supply concerns, as soybeans firm on vegetable oils

Chicago | Reuters – Chicago wheat futures surged to a two-month high on Monday, as heavy world demand and worries about the global availability of high-protein wheat extended market gains. Soybeans were also firm, helped by renewed strength in the energy and vegetable oil markets. The most-active soft red winter wheat contract on the Chicago […] Read more


The Co-op Ethanol Complex at Belle Plaine, Sask. (FCL.crs)

Co-op to capture carbon at ethanol plant, refinery

FCL, Whitecap sign agreement to sequester fuel plants' CO2

A major Prairie ethanol and fuel producer is posed to spend just over half a billion dollars on a system to capture and sequester carbon dioxide from its operations in Saskatchewan. Federated Co-operatives announced Thursday it had signed a memo of understanding with Calgary-based ‘clean energy’ company Whitecap Resources, in which the latter company will […] Read more

CBOT December 2021 wheat (candlesticks) with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages (yellow, brown and dark green lines). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Wheat firms on global supply concerns

Fertilizer risks underpin corn; soybeans weighed by harvest, firmer crush lends support

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago wheat rose on Friday, supported by global supply concerns and an easing dollar. Corn followed wheat higher, but gains were dragged down by pressure from a lower soybean market as U.S. farmers reap better-than-expected harvests of the oilseed. The most-active wheat contract on the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) ended […] Read more


CBOT November 2021 soybeans (candlesticks) with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages (yellow, dark green and black lines). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Soy down on South American weather, technical pressure

Firm U.S. dollar weighs on wheat; rising crop input costs supportive for corn

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago soybean futures fell on Thursday after five straight sessions of gains, pressured by technical resistance and beneficial forecasts for rain in top export competitor Brazil. Wheat eased from a two-week high hit earlier on Thursday as weaker crude oil prices and a firmer U.S. dollar offset tightening global supplies. Corn […] Read more

MGEX December 2021 spring wheat (candlesticks) with Bollinger bands (20,2). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Wheat, corn, soy futures up with global demand

MGEX December wheat at nine-year high

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn futures hit a two-week high on Wednesday and soybean futures also advanced, supported by brisk global demand, firm cash markets and surging vegetable oil prices. U.S. wheat futures rose as Minneapolis Grain Exchange spring wheat futures set a nine-year top on tightening global supplies of high-quality milling wheat. Additional […] Read more


CBOT November 2021 soybeans (candlesticks) with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages (yellow, green and black lines). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Soybeans up on firm cash markets, vegoils

Corn, wheat futures sputter

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures ended higher on Tuesday for a fourth straight session, with the benchmark November contract touching a one-week top on firm cash markets and global demand for vegetable oils, analysts said. But Chicago Board of Trade corn and wheat futures closed lower, sagging after a choppy session. CBOT November […] Read more

Dried distiller grains are an excellent source of crude protein and intermediate to excellent sources of energy.

Are byproduct feeds the answer to a limited feed supply?

Nutrition with John McKinnon

In my last column, I addressed the use of low-quality roughages in wintering rations. That column was prompted by widespread drought across Western and Central Canada. Recent rains have helped alleviate dry conditions; however, they have not mitigated impending feed shortages. As a result, producers continue to scramble for winter feed, with many looking to […] Read more


CBOT December 2021 corn (candlesticks) with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages (yellow, orange and dark green lines). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Corn climbs on export data, acreage worries

CBOT soy, wheat also firm

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn futures ended higher on Monday, rallying from early declines, as traders focused on stronger-than-expected weekly U.S. export inspections data and fears that rising fertilizer prices could limit corn plantings in the coming year. Soybean futures also rose, buoyed by strength in soyoil and global vegetable oil markets. Wheat futures […] Read more

Minneapolis (MGEX) December 2021 wheat (candlesticks) with Bollinger bands (20,2). (Barchart)

Prairie cash wheat: CWRS bids up with U.S. futures

However, a strong loonie applies pressure

MarketsFarm — Minneapolis spring wheat futures climbed to contract highs during the week ended Thursday, which provided spillover support for Canadian cash bids. However, strength in the Canadian dollar was a bearish influence, tempering the upside in the cash market. Average Canada Western Red Spring (CWRS, 13.5 per cent protein) wheat prices were up by […] Read more