
Viterra in talks to merge with Bunge, source says
Merger would vault Viterra into top tier of grain trade
Reuters — Global grain trader Viterra is in talks to merge with U.S. rival Bunge Ltd., according to a person familiar with the matter, in a potential mega-deal that would reshape the top tier of global grains merchants. There is no certainty that Viterra, part-owned by Switzerland-based mining and trading giant Glencore, will be able […] Read more

Feed weekly outlook: Rain falls, grain prices to follow
U.S. corn values expected to decline
MarketsFarm — Feed grain prices in Western Canada are showing the usual seasonal weakness as spring seeding continues, but prices are set to fall further. “I think as we get going, (prices) are going to lower down quite a bit,” Mike Fleischhauer of Eagle Commodities Ltd. at Lethbridge said. “The corn market over the next […] Read more

ICE weekly outlook: Don’t bank on $700 canola, analyst suggests
Fresh bullish news not yet in view
MarketsFarm — New-crop canola prices on ICE Futures seemed to be destined to remain well below $700 per tonne, according to analyst Errol Anderson of ProMarket Communications in Calgary. “The market tends to be back where it came from,” Anderson said, stressing that chances of canola pushing higher requires fresh bullish news. “It’s got to […] Read more

Pulse weekly outlook: Better growing conditions despite dryness, smoke
Continued smoky skies could slow crop development
MarketsFarm — While dry conditions persist across the Prairies, the current situation for pulses is not as bad as during the two previous springs, according to Pulse Canada’s director of market access and trade policy. Mac Ross said dryness is largely evident across Western Canada and many crops are still below their five-year averages for […] Read more

CBOT weekly outlook: Chicago soy, corn find chart support
Pre-Memorial Day positioning expected
MarketsFarm — Soybean and corn futures at the Chicago Board of Trade were testing lows in mid-May but appeared to have found some support for the time being. “We’re getting a little technical bounce off these lows,” said John Weyer, director of commercial hedging with Walsh Trading in Chicago. He had expected July soybeans to […] Read more

AAFC projecting canola ending stocks to tighten
New-crop wheat ending stocks figure boosted
MarketsFarm — Canadian canola ending stocks in both the current marketing year and upcoming 2023-24 season will be tighter than earlier estimates, according to supply/demand projections from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) on Tuesday. Factoring in Statistics Canada’s latest acreage estimates and its data for stocks as of March 31 — figures both released in […] Read more

NEW FEATURE: Prairie Forecast: Summerlike conditions moving in
Forecast issued May 24, 2023, covering May 24-31, 2023
As we head into the final week of May, it is looking to be very summerlike across much of the Prairies. Currently there is a strong area of cool high pressure centred over the Great Lakes. This area of high pressure is what brought cool and windy conditions to the eastern Prairies on Wednesday. As […] Read more

U.S. grains: Profit-taking pressures wheat futures
CBOT corn firm, soy mixed
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat futures fell on Wednesday on a round of profit-taking as traders said the market lacked fundamental inputs to drive prices higher a day after a rally driven by renewed concerns over a Black Sea deal. Corn futures were firm for the second day in a row, with old-crop contracts […] Read more

U.S. livestock: Hog futures weak on bearish supplies
Chicago cattle futures firm
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange hog futures fell for the fourth day in a row on Wednesday, with a large supply base pressuring the market. Cattle contracts were firm, rising on a round of technical buying. After the close, the U.S. Agriculture Department said frozen U.S. beef stocks as of April 30 stood […] Read more

FCC offers new credit line against ‘current economic environment’
Ag lender to waive loan processing fees
Farm Credit Canada’s recent outreach to specific agrifood sectors hit by unusual environmental conditions has now extended to those hit by the broader “economic environment.” The federal ag lender on Tuesday said it will offer an unsecured credit line of up to $500,000 with loan processing fees waived, “to help producers, agribusinesses and agri-food operations […] Read more