MarketsFarm — Despite a year of economic uncertainty due to extreme weather, reduced crop yields and the COVID-19 pandemic, the value of Canadian farmland rose by its highest rate in four years, according to a report from Farm Credit Canada (FCC). FCC’s report, released Monday, revealed that the national average value of farmland increased by […] Read more

Rate of rise in farmland value ‘surprised’ in 2021
Canada books 8.3 per cent year-over-year increase, FCC reports

U.S. livestock: CME cattle, hogs firm amid market uncertainty
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange cattle futures climbed on Monday as traders attempted to make sense of changing trade restrictions and allowances. “The market’s trying to sort out all these trade protection measures,” said Alan Brugler, president of Brugler Marketing. “Everybody seems to want imports, and nobody wants to export anything.” CME April […] Read more

Pulse sector hails renewed trade talks with India
MarketsFarm — Canada and India have formerly relaunched trade negotiations that could lead to increased Canadian pulse exports to the country. Canada’s Trade Minister Mary Ng met with her Indian counterpart Shri Piyush Goyal in New Delhi on Friday to discuss economic relationships between the two countries. While highlighting existing trade relationships, the ministers also […] Read more

Canada allows Brazilian beef and pork, Brazil ag minister says
Updated, March 15 — Reuters — Canada has approved the importation of beef and pork from Brazil, which had been blocked over health concerns, authorities from both countries said on Monday. “We are in Ottawa and have just left the Canadian Ministry of Agriculture with … great news: the opening up of the country’s pork […] Read more

U.S. grains: Corn eases on Ukraine ceasefire talks
Argentina restricts soymeal, soyoil exports
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago corn fell on Monday, pressured by uncertainty in the Black Sea region as talks of a ceasefire in Ukraine could open up the region to exports, though progress remains uncertain. Wheat eased early in the session, but returned to near even on news that Russia is suspending exports to protect […] Read more

Ukraine to start spring seeding in coming days, officials say
Lviv | Reuters — Ukraine plans to start sowing spring grains in the coming days and has enough grain in stocks to ensure the population has enough bread, deputy agriculture minister Taras Vysotskiy said Saturday. He said the country, which consumes eight million tonnes of wheat a year, had six million tonnes in stocks. Stocks […] Read more

Traders consider exporting Ukraine grain by rail
Lviv | Reuters — Traders are trying to arrange the export of Ukrainian-origin grain by train through western Ukraine’s borders, but the export capacities are very limited, APK-Inform agriculture consultancy said Friday. Ukraine’s state-run railway operator said this week it was ready to organize agricultural exports by rail as a matter of urgency after closure […] Read more

USDA opens inquiry into fertilizer, seed prices
Reuters — The U.S. Department of Agriculture is opening an inquiry into the impacts of concentration in the fertilizer, seed and retail markets. The inquiry stems from the Biden administration’s July 2021 executive order to promote competition across the U.S. economy, the agency said in a release Friday. Global supply chain problems and inflation have […] Read more

Most of Prairies still very dry, but recovery possible
Southern Manitoba considered out of drought
MarketsFarm — Despite the Prairies receiving above-normal amounts of precipitation during February, the great majority of the region remained highly vulnerable to more dryness going into spring, according to the Canadian Drought Monitor. The monitor’s latest report showed those areas of the Prairies tackling extreme drought to have retracted somewhat. As of Feb. 28, that […] Read more

G7 ag ministers urge end to food export curbs as prices surge
Nations warn against 'speculative behaviour'
Hamburg | Reuters — Global food exporting countries should not restrict food exports after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine cut world supplies, agriculture ministers of the G7 group of nations said on Friday. The impact on markets escalated this week as a growing list of food producing countries restricted exports, keeping vital supplies within their borders. […] Read more