
Ukraine calls for moves to unblock ports, prevent global food crisis
Russia has mounted a blockade of Ukrainian ports
Kyiv | Reuters — Ukraine’s president called on the international community on Monday to take immediate steps to end a Russian blockade of his country’s ports to allow wheat exports and prevent a global food crisis. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy made his comments in an online post after speaking to European Council President Charles Michel, who […] Read more

World could see 1.5 C of warming in next five years, WMO reports
London | Reuters — The world faces a 50 per cent chance of warming of 1.5 C above pre-industrial levels, if only briefly, by 2026, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said on Monday. That does not mean the world would be crossing the long-term warming threshold of 1.5 C (2.7 F), which scientists have set […] Read more

Farming behind the lines: Growers in Ukraine plant amid hostilities close by
'We started the sowing campaign by removing rockets from the field'
Viktor and Sergiy Shipov are used to adversity. Viktor established a farming company in southern Ukraine 20 years ago, in the Mykolaiv Oblast, where hellish heat and lack of rainfall can make the land look like the Sahara Desert with yellow dunes. This is a corner of the classic Ukrainian steppe, where rainfall is very […] Read more

U.S. livestock: CME live cattle firm on strong packer demand
Export demand concerns drag on hogs
Chicago | Reuters — CME live cattle futures firmed on Monday, supported by strong packer demand that supported cash prices, indicating a bullish outlook for summer month futures, analysts said. “Packer behaviour has been bullish for several weeks now. They are going after the cattle,” said Dennis Smith, commodity broker at Archer Financial. “I suspect […] Read more

Drought gone in Manitoba but worsening in Alberta, AAFC reports
MarketsFarm — Record-breaking precipitation in southern Manitoba and eastern Saskatchewan helped improve moisture conditions in the region in April, taking much of the area out of the drought classification, according to the latest Drought Monitor report from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) for the period ended April 30. Two separate Colorado lows brought significant snow, […] Read more

U.S. grains: Corn, soybeans ease on expected planting progress
Weather in U.S., India, France adds to Ukraine wheat supply fears
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago soybean futures fell on Monday to five-week lows as warmer U.S. weather expedited planting progress, deflating fears of added soybean acres and further cuts to corn plantings, traders said. Wheat remained underpinned by dry conditions in the U.S. and French growing belts, reinforcing global supply concerns. The most-active Chicago Board […] Read more

StatsCan reports sharp decline in field crop stocks
Stocks tighter than most traders had estimated
MarketsFarm — Statistics Canada’s report on the country’s principal field crop stocks, released Friday, reflects an ever-tightening supply brought on by last year’s drought. With the exception of corn and soybeans, all of the crops listed suffered a supply decline of at least 10 per cent compared to the year before, as of March 31. […] Read more

Alberta seeding ahead of five-year average
MarketsFarm — While spring planting in Alberta is 12.2 per cent complete overall there’s a disparity between the south and the rest of the province. Also, the pace was 2.6 points above the five-year average, but 5.2 behind last year. As of Tuesday, Alberta Agriculture found seeding in the south was at 36.5 per cent […] Read more

Agco ransomware attack disrupts equipment sales
Dealerships cut off from parts ordering system
Reuters — U.S. agricultural equipment maker Agco Corp. said on Friday a ransomware attack was affecting operations at some of its production facilities, and dealers said tractor sales had been stalled during the crucial planting season. Georgia-based Agco, whose brands include Massey Ferguson, Fendt, Challenger and Valtra, said in a statement it expects operations at […] Read more

U.S. grains: Soybeans, corn slide on Midwest weather forecasts
Wheat tumbles after rally, poised for weekly gain
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago corn and soybean futures slid on Friday as rising interest rates and currency pressures weighed on U.S. exports and forecasts of warm, dry weather opened a window for Midwestern farmers to get their crop planted. Recent rainfall in South America could boost Brazil’s south-central corn crop, which on Friday was […] Read more