CBOT March 2023 corn with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Corn, wheat ease on firm U.S. dollar, export concerns

U.S. rail union votes against tentative contract deal

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Board of Trade grain futures eased on Monday as a stronger dollar and worries about U.S. exports weighed on prices, analysts said. The dollar advanced against most major currencies, making U.S. commodities look less attractive to importers, as tightened COVID-19 rules in China fuelled worries over the global economic outlook. […] Read more

(Dave Bedard photo)

AAFC report sees another series of tweaks

MarketsFarm — As expected, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) avoided making any major revisions to its November supply and demand estimates, waiting until Statistics Canada issues its next production report on Dec. 2. AAFC released its latest monthly report late Friday afternoon. While AAFC tweaked its November supply and demand estimates from October, most of […] Read more


BNSF crews clear track near Lemmon, S.D., about 300 km northeast of Rapid City, in late December 2016. (BNSF.com)

Biggest U.S. rail union rejects tentative deal, raising threat of strike

Union digs in on paid sick time

Washington/Los Angeles | Reuters — Workers at the largest U.S. rail union voted against a tentative contract deal reached in September, raising the possibility of a year-end strike that could cause significant damage to the U.S. economy and strand vital shipments of food and fuel. Train and engine service members of the transportation division of […] Read more

CBOT January 2023 soybeans with Bollinger (20,2) bands. (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Soy firms on bargain buying but posts weekly decline

December wheat ends down, corn up

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures rose on Friday on bargain buying after a two-session slide, but still ended the week down about one per cent on uncertainty about demand from China, traders said. Wheat futures turned lower, retreating from early advances, with the benchmark December contract on the Chicago Board of Trade declining […] Read more


Drought expands across western Prairies

Drought expands across western Prairies

MarketsFarm — Drought conditions expanded across Alberta and Saskatchewan in October, with very little precipitation across the agricultural regions of the two provinces since August. That’s according to the latest Canadian Drought Monitor from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, as of Oct. 31. At the end of that month, 72 per cent of the Prairie region […] Read more

(Thinkstock photo)

Prairie cash wheat: Bids steady following Ukraine volatility

U.S. wheat futures up on week

MarketsFarm — A roller-coaster type of week for grain markets, fuelled by the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia, ended with slightly higher bids for western Canadian wheat for the week ended Thursday. As optimism grew over the renewal of Russia’s agreement to allow Ukrainian grain shipments on the Black Sea, wheat futures on the […] Read more


Grain ships carrying Ukrainian grain are seen in the Black Sea, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, near Ukrainian port of Odesa, Ukraine Oct. 30, 2022. (Photo: Reuters/Serhii Smolientsev)

Black Sea grain export deal extended

Deal's terms unchanged; Moscow to still seek removal of obstacles to grain, fertilizer exports

Reuters — A deal aimed at easing global food shortages by helping Ukraine export its agricultural products from Black Sea ports was extended for four months on Thursday, though Russia said its own demands were yet to be fully addressed. The agreement, initially reached in July, created a protected transit corridor and was designed to […] Read more

CBOT December 2022 soft red winter wheat (candlesticks) with 20-day moving average (green line), MGEX December 2022 hard red spring wheat (yellow line) and K.C. December 2022 hard red winter wheat (orange line). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Wheat sags on Black Sea export deal extension

Chicago corn turns higher

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat futures dropped to a 2-1/2-month low on Thursday after the United Nations announced an agreement to extend a grain corridor for exports from war-torn Ukraine. Soybean futures fell on worries about demand as top global buyer China struggles with COVID-19 lockdowns. But corn turned higher as strong weekly U.S. […] Read more



(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Feed weekly outlook: More corn, oats in feed rations

'Very weird situation to be seeing again'

MarketsFarm — As prices for feed barley and wheat increase, more feedlots are turning to corn, according to Susanne Leclerc of Market Master Ltd. at Edmonton. “A lot of places are switching to corn. The desirability of feed barley has been coming down,” she said. “So it will be interesting to see which way the […] Read more