Almaty | Reuters — Kazakhstan will permanently ban foreigners from owning or renting farmland in the vast central Asian nation, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said on Thursday, ending a lengthy dispute that once prompted anti-government protests. Kazakhstan is a major producer of grains, oilseeds and meat in the former Soviet region sandwiched between China and Russia […] Read more
Kazakhstan’s president orders ban on foreign ownership of farmland
Canary seed competing with other crops on the rise
'There's a fight for acreage'
MarketsFarm — During the fall of 2020, canary seed crossed above the 30 cents per pound mark — where it’s currently staying. And those who work with the crop expect its price to remain above that mark this year. David Nobbs, pulse merchant for Purely Canada Foods at Saskatoon and former chair of the Canary […] Read more
Grain shortage, cold snap cause delays at West Coast ports
'...the vessels continue to arrive'
MarketsFarm — Grain movement in Western Canada remains faced with significant difficulties, according to Mark Hemmes, president of Quorum Corp., which monitors rail traffic and vessel movements in Canada. February’s cold snap resulted in grain movement across the region falling below its three-year average. The most pressing issue has been a shortage of grain to […] Read more
ICE weekly outlook: Profit-taking to pressure canola
Market appearing overdone
MarketsFarm — ICE Futures canola contracts climbed to record highs during the week ended Wednesday as concerns over tightening old-crop supplies provided support. However, the market was looking overdone to the upside and profit-taking came forward to put some pressure on values. “The traders that are still long are playing the game of forcing the […] Read more
CBOT weekly outlook: South American weather woes lift soy, corn
MarketsFarm — While most of North America is recovering after a deep freeze last week, conditions in South America are still affecting prices in soybeans and corn futures at the Chicago Board of Trade. Dry weather conditions in southern parts of the continent, along with wet weather in Brazil, have limited both the harvest and […] Read more
U.S. grains: Brazilian storms push U.S. corn, soy futures higher
Cold-weather concerns support wheat
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn and soybean futures rose on Wednesday as storms in major production areas of Brazil disrupted fieldwork, threatening to slow export shipments from one of the world’s major suppliers, traders said. “Very heavy rains remain in the forecast for Brazil’s northern soybean belt, where farmers are trying to harvest this […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Hog futures limit-up to highest since May 2019
Cattle futures bounce on bargain buying
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. lean hog futures rose their daily limit on Wednesday, hitting their highest in nearly two years on tight frozen stocks and expectations for strong Chinese demand, traders said. The U.S. Agriculture Department’s cold storage report issued on Tuesday afternoon fueled buying on Wednesday. “Belly and trim stocks are at four-year […] Read more
Pulse weekly outlook: Lentil prices increase
MarketsFarm — Lentil prices have been increasing over the last week, making gains of one to five cents per pound depending on the type, according to Prairie Ag Hotwire. “There’s a huge demand on everything right now. The lentil market is strong just like the yellow peas,” Allan Johnston, president of Johnston Grains at Welwyn, […] Read more
U.S. Senate confirms Vilsack as Biden’s ag secretary
Pandemic leaves USDA 'a lot of work to do'
Reuters — The U.S. Senate on Tuesday confirmed Tom Vilsack to head the Department of Agriculture, returning the former Iowa governor to the job he held under ex-President Barack Obama. The 100-member Senate approved Vilsack 92-7. He needed a simple majority in the Democratic-controlled chamber to be confirmed. As secretary of the sprawling department, Vilsack […] Read more
U.S. grains: CBOT soy, corn rise on weather delays in Brazil
Chicago May wheat settles firm
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures surged 1.6 per cent on Tuesday to their highest in more than five weeks on expectations that a slow harvest in Brazil will add further stress to the already tight supply situation in the United States, traders said. Corn futures also were strong, hitting a two-week high as […] Read more
Canadian Cattlemen Presents: Depth of Field
