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Minnesota grain handler targeted in ransomware attack

Company instead issuing handwritten tickets for grain deliveries

Chicago | Reuters — Minnesota agricultural co-operative Crystal Valley said it had been targeted in a ransomware attack in recent days, making it the second Midwestern farm-services provider in a week to be forced to take systems offline due to cybersecurity incidents. Crystal Valley, which sells supplies like fertilizer to farmers and buys their crops, […] Read more


CBOT December 2021 wheat (candlesticks) with December 2021 oats (orange line, left column). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Wheat firms on global supply issues

Oats also push corn higher

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago wheat futures firmed on Thursday, strengthened by global supply concerns and a firming oat futures market on drought-stricken North American supplies. Corn and soybeans edged higher, supported by wheat and oats. The most-active wheat contract on the Chicago Board Of Trade (CBOT) added 12 cents to $7.17-3/4 a bushel (all […] Read more

CBOT December 2021 oats (candlesticks) with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages (yellow, orange and dark green lines). (Barchart)

CBOT oats climb on supply woes

Prairie drought eats at availability

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Board of Trade December oats futures climbed their daily maximum of 25 cents per bushel on Wednesday, nearing a 7-1/2 hear high, after drought slashed supplies from top global supplier Canada at a time of robust demand for the grain, traders said. The December oats contract surged 25 cents to […] Read more



ICE November 2021 canola (candlesticks) with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages (yellow, green and black lines). (Barchart)

ICE weekly outlook: Canola waiting on fresh news

MarketsFarm — The ICE Futures canola market held rangebound during the week ended Wednesday, looking for some direction. “None of these markets are flashing any strong signals that there’s much going on… they’re waiting for fresh news and there isn’t much around right now,” said Ken Ball of PI Financial in Winnipeg. While uncertainty over […] Read more


CBOT December 2021 corn (candlesticks) with 20-, 100- and 200-day moving averages (yellow, green and black lines). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Corn, soy jump despite rising harvest as oil, equities gain

Accelerating harvest amid dry U.S. forecast caps gains

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn futures rebounded on Wednesday from four sessions of declines in a technical and fund-buying bounce fueled by rising crude oil and equities markets, more than offsetting seasonal pressure from an accelerating U.S. harvest. Soybean and wheat futures also advanced as global economic jitters eased and the dollar weakened. The […] Read more

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China to release potash reserves

Move said to be intended to ensure supply, stabilize prices

Beijing | Reuters –– China’s state planner on Wednesday said the government would take measures to keep supply and prices of fertilizers stable, including releasing potash fertilizer reserves and ensuring imports reach farmers as it looks to bolster food security. The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) said it was one of 13 government departments […] Read more



File photo of emerging durum south of Griffin, Sask. on May 31, 2019. (Leeann Minogue photo)

BASF warns on seeding choices for drought-hit imi-treated fields

Steer clear of non-Clearfield canola, durum, canary seed in rotations, company says

Updated, Sept. 22 — The maker of Odyssey, Solo and Viper is warning grain growers whose fields were excessively dry in 2021 that those herbicides may not break down soon enough in those soils to allow certain seeding choices in 2022. BASF Canada on Monday issued an “urgent notice to growers” in which the company […] Read more