
Klassen: Barley price forecasts enhance feeder cattle demand
Recent rains nearly guarantee at least average yields
Compared to last week, western Canadian yearling prices were relatively unchanged. Heifer and steer calves were quoted steady to $3 lower on average but the market was harder to define due to limited numbers. Small packages of calves of various quality resulted in the wide-ranging price structure. Buying interest for grassers appears to have subsided. […] Read more

Surge in U.S. renewable diesel supply won’t offset loss of petroleum diesel
Reuters — A flood of U.S. renewable diesel plants set to come online in the next three years will not be enough to offset the loss of petroleum diesel refining capacity from plant closings since 2019, a Reuters analysis of federal data shows. U.S. refining capacity has declined in the last two years, as plants […] Read more

CN service continues as signals staff strike
Talks continue after IBEW-represented employees stopped work Saturday
Canadian National Railway is reporting “normal” rail operations after its signals and communications workers walked out on strike starting Saturday. Members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), which represents about 750 CN employees across Canada, served the railway with strike notice last Wednesday and started their strike Saturday morning, the company said. IBEW […] Read more

PAMI to close Portage la Prairie location
Revenue challenges in recent years blamed for Manitoba site's closure
The product development, testing and design firm Prairie Agricultural Machinery Institute (PAMI), will be closing its Portage la Prairie, Man. location at the end of July. Citing revenue challenges in recent years as the reason for downsizing, the institute informed staff and clients of the closure of its River Road facility in Portage, prior to […] Read more

U.S. EPA ordered to reassess glyphosate impact on health, environment
Decision doesn't prohibit Roundup's use
Reuters — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency was ordered by a federal appeals court on Friday to take a fresh look at whether glyphosate, the active ingredient in Bayer’s Roundup herbicide, poses unreasonable risks to humans and the environment. In a 3-0 decision, the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals agreed with several environmental, farmworker […] Read more

Prairie cash wheat: Bids firm as loonie falls
MarketsFarm — Spring wheat bids in Western Canada moved higher during the week ended Thursday, as heavy losses in the Canadian dollar more than countered the bearish influence of weakening U.S. futures. Average Canada Western Red Spring (CWRS, 13.5 per cent protein) wheat prices were up by $4.50-$7.40 per tonne during the week ended Thursday, […] Read more

Canola net long position smallest in 10 months
MarketsFarm — The net long position held by fund traders in the ICE Futures canola market continued to dwindle in the latest Commitment of Traders (CoT) report compiled by the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), hitting its smallest level since August 2021. The net managed money long position in ICE Futures canola came in […] Read more

U.S. grains: Wheat falls on harvest pressure, firmer U.S. dollar
Hot Midwest spell raises early concerns about corn, soy yields
Indianapolis | Reuters — Chicago wheat futures fell on Friday, erasing gains earlier in the week as harvest pressure weighs and a firmer dollar limits export business, traders said. Corn inched higher, finding a fresh one-month high, supported by hot weather in the U.S. Midwest that could threaten crops, while soybeans traded near even heading […] Read more

U.S. livestock: CME live cattle up on rising cash prices
Lean hogs up in pre-long weekend trade
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures closed stronger on Friday on rising cash prices, while lean hog futures hit two-week highs, analysts said. Feeder cattle futures also ended firmer. The markets advanced as U.S. stocks bounced back from a sharp selloff in the prior session. Losses in equities and concerns about […] Read more

WTO strikes global trade deals deep into overtime
Deals reached on food security, health and fishing; formerly defiant India joins consensus
Geneva | Reuters — The World Trade Organization’s 164 members approved a series of trade agreements early on Friday that included commitments on fish and pledges on health and food security after more than five gruelling days of negotiations. The deals were ground out over five days of bargaining at a conference of more than […] Read more