CBOT July 2021 corn (candlesticks) with 20-day moving average (yellow line), CBOT July 2021 wheat (orange line) and MGEX July 2021 spring wheat (dark green line). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Corn jumps after USDA lifts export, ethanol demand view

Soybean crush cut by USDA, boosting 2020-21 ending stocks

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn futures rallied on Thursday to their highest in a month after the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) projected stronger demand from ethanol makers and exporters ahead of the next harvest. Soybeans were mixed as USDA unexpectedly reduced its view of processor demand this spring and summer in its monthly […] Read more



(Photo courtesy Canary Seed Development Commission of Saskatchewan)

Canary seed gains official ‘grain’ status

New regulations to take effect Aug. 1

MarketsFarm — No longer just for the birds, canary seed will soon gain official status under the Canada Grain Act, the Canadian Grain Commission (CGC) announced Wednesday. Following stakeholder consultations and calls from producers the CGC is implementing regulatory changes for the crop effective Aug. 1. The move to official status was good news to […] Read more

ICE November 2021 canola (candlesticks) with Bollinger bands (20,2) and July 2021 canola (yellow open/high/low/close). (Barchart)

ICE weekly outlook: Canola market pits weather against supplies

MarketsFarm — As dry conditions remained prevalent across the Canadian Prairies and U.S. northern Plains, despite recent precipitation, the markets were in a struggle between the weather and tightening supplies, according to Winnipeg analyst Wayne Palmer of Exceed Grain. So far for the week of June 7, central and northern Alberta received rain, followed by […] Read more


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

CBOT weekly outlook: Wet weather pressures markets ahead of USDA report

MarketsFarm — After hot and dry weather sent corn and soybean prices climbing higher in early June, much-needed rains brought bids down at the Chicago Board of Trade on Wednesday. Weather accounted for “90 per cent” of the pricing influence, according to Sean Lusk, vice-president of the commercial hedging division for Walsh Trading in Chicago. […] Read more

Map from the Canadian Drought Monitor as of May 31, 2021. (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada)

Drought conditions improve in May for some of Prairies, not all

MarketsFarm — Significant precipitation through May relieved drought conditions across parts of the Prairies, while other areas remained significantly dry, according to the latest assessment from the Canadian Drought Monitor as of May 31. This precipitation improved soil moisture conditions for the short-term, decreasing the area of moderate (D1) and severe drought (D2) in central […] Read more


CBOT July 2021 soybeans (candlesticks) with 20- and 50-day moving averages (yellow and green lines) and CME July 2021 crude palm oil (purple line). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Soybean futures fall, corn firm ahead of USDA report

CBOT, MGEX July wheats down; K.C. wheat up

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures dropped 1.2 per cent on Wednesday, pressured by a round of profit-taking and weakness in the cash market, traders said. Wheat futures also were mostly lower after rain in the northern U.S. Plains eased some concerns about parched soils limiting the size of the crop. Corn futures were […] Read more

Tips for managing through a drought

Tips for managing through a drought

News Roundup from the June 2021 issue of Canadian Cattlemen

It’s a given that farmers and ranchers will face drought cycles over their lifetimes, and as the Beef Cattle Research Council (BCRC) notes, managing forage and water through those cycles is challenging. Drought reaches beyond the southern Prairies, too — as Saskatchewan Agriculture recently noted, even producers in northern growing regions with plenty of sloughs, […] Read more


Pinto beans. (Vergani_Fotografia/iStock/Getty Images)

Pulse weekly outlook: Manitoba crops emerge despite dry soils

Beans 'tougher than people think'

MarketsFarm — While Manitoba continues to deal with drought conditions in many growing areas, planting of pulses and soybeans is near done and some pulses are starting to emerge. “Pea and fava bean seeding wrapped up a while ago,” said Cassandra Tkachuk, production specialist for Manitoba Pulse and Soybean Growers (MPSG). “Dry bean planting actually […] Read more

CBOT July 2021 soybeans (candlesticks) with 20-day moving average (dark green line) and ICE July 2021 canola (yellow line). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Midwest forecast supports gains in soy, corn

CBOT wheat up, MGEX wheat down

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn and soybean futures rose on Tuesday after a government report showed that the condition of crops was worse than expected as a heat wave hit the U.S. Midwest. “Yesterday’s Crop Progress report provided plenty of fodder for the bulls,” Matt Zeller, director of market information at StoneX, said in […] Read more