
Crops

Bunge, Viterra merger would create global ag trading giant
Companies have some overlap in Canadian crushing
Reuters — A merger of U.S. grains merchant Bunge Ltd. with rival Viterra would grow the combined entity’s businesses in the U.S., Brazil and Australia and may raise competition concerns in parts of Canada and Argentina, where key oilseed processing assets overlap, analysts said. Sources last week said Bunge and Viterra were in talks for […] Read more

U.S. grains: Wheat bounces off 2-1/2 year low
Corn, soy futures pare losses
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago wheat futures closed higher on Wednesday on a round of bargain buying after the benchmark July contract dipped to its lowest level in nearly 2-1/2 years, dragged down by strong competition for export business and macroeconomic worries, brokers said. Similarly, U.S. corn and soybean futures recovered from steep declines, with […] Read more

CBOT weekly outlook: Quick seeding bringing down prices
U.S. debt ceiling negotiations affected crude oil prices, agricultural commodities mostly immune
MarketsFarm – Prices for corn, soybeans and wheat on the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) were pressured by fast planting paces during the week ended May 31, according to one trader. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reported on May 30 that 92 per cent of the country’s corn crop was planted as of Sunday, […] Read more

Pulse weekly outlook: Manitoba crops get good start but need rain
Some bean growers seek moisture at lower planting depths
MarketsFarm — Pulse growers in Manitoba are waiting for one thing: rain. So far in May, growing areas of the province have not seen any significant precipitation, according to Dennis Lange, industry development specialist for pulse crops with Manitoba Agriculture. Dry beans, he said, are the last pulse crop farmers have been planting in Manitoba […] Read more

U.S. grains: Wheat, corn, soy fall on uncertain demand, weather
Sagging equities, crude oil also bearish on grains
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat, corn and soybean futures tumbled on Tuesday, pressured by macroeconomic worries, strong competition for global grain export business and some forecasts for beneficial Midwest rains next month that could bolster production prospects, analysts said. “The wetter outlook removed the one factor providing stability for the grain and oilseed markets, […] Read more

Canada’s combine sales up in April
Small tractor sales drag on total retail movement
Retail sales of combines in both Canada and the U.S. showed a marked increase in April this year while the market for sub-compact tractors continues to soften, new data shows. The count for April 2023 from the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) puts self-propelled combine sales in Canada at 166, up 50.9 per cent from […] Read more

April grain deliveries see increases all around
Barley deliveries up sharply
MarketsFarm –– Producer deliveries of major grains last month were up nearly 40 per cent when compared to April 2022, according to Statistics Canada (StatCan). In April 2023 more than 3.44 million tonnes of grain were delivered, versus 2.46 million a year ago. The uptick in deliveries continued to demonstrate the sizeable harvest farmers reaped […] Read more

Prairie Forecast Update: A few small tweaks
Forecast issued May 28, covering the period from May 29 to 31
The weather regime across southern and central Canada is currently being dominated by a large sprawling surface high over eastern regions with a slowly digging trough of low pressure over the West Coast. The flows around these two features have been producing warm summer-like conditions across the eastern Prairies with slightly cooler conditions as you […] Read more

Black Sea grain deal slow to get moving after extension
Ukraine says Russia has effectively frozen out one port
United Nations | Reuters — A deal allowing the safe wartime export of grain and fertilizer from Ukrainian Black Sea ports has not yet resumed full operations, the United Nations said on Friday, having come to a halt before Russia’s decision last week to extend it. The pact called the Black Sea Grain Initiative, brokered […] Read more

U.S. grains: Corn hits one-month high on weather worries
Soybean, wheat futures also advance
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Board of Trade corn futures reached a one-month high on Friday as forecasts for dry weather in the U.S. Midwest kept attention on early risks to this year’s crop. Soybean and wheat futures also rose, with the agricultural markets posting weekly gains following recent declines to multi-month lows. Traders added […] Read more