
Crops

Seaway workers serve strike notice
Waterway would be 'closed to all traffic' in event of strike
Five Unifor locals representing 361 workers with the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corp. (SLSMC) have served their 72 hours’ notice of a strike that could shut the waterway to grain and all other traffic just after midnight Sunday at the earliest. Unifor members represented by Locals 4211, 4212 and 4323 in Ontario and Locals 4319 […] Read more

ICE weekly outlook: Upside seen for canola prices
'Aggressive manipulation' seen as a factor
MarketsFarm — Early gains were followed by late losses on ICE Futures’ canola market during the week ended Wednesday. The November canola contract began the week at $704.60 per tonne before rising up to $725.80/tonne on Monday, then ending the week at $711.70. The January contract went in similar directions, starting at $710.10/tonne before moving […] Read more

CBOT weekly outlook: Corn rangebound, soybeans rising, wheat erratic
Chicago wheat fluctuation 'just drives you nuts'
MarketsFarm — While soybean futures at the Chicago Board of Trade have moved higher over the past week, corn was rangebound and wheat lacked any clear direction in choppy trade, making it hard to predict where values may go from here, according to Scott Capinegro of Barrington Commodities in Barrington, Ill. Capinegro said the December […] Read more

Bulk ocean freight at highest level of past year
Container freight rates seen softening
MarketsFarm — Ocean freight rates have shown some strength over the past two months, with the Baltic Dry Index (BDI) at its highest level of the past year. The BDI, a major indicator of bulk shipping rates, settled at 2,058 points on Tuesday, marking the first close above 2,000 points since July 2022. The BDI […] Read more

Former ag minister returns in new Manitoba cabinet
Kinew names Kostyshyn to ag portfolio
Incoming Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew has brought a former provincial agriculture minister back to the cabinet table to handle the ag file. Ron Kostyshyn, who from 2012 to 2016 was then-premier Greg Selinger’s ag minister while serving as MLA for the northwestern riding of Swan River, was sworn in Wednesday as minister of agriculture in […] Read more

U.S. grains: Wheat firms on bargain buying, corn follows suit
Soybeans hit three-week high
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago wheat futures rose for the first time in three sessions on bargain buying on Wednesday, with corn futures following, traders said. Wheat futures also gained a mid-session boost on rekindled market speculation that India, a leading wheat producer, may be tight on supplies. India raised the price at which it […] Read more

Klassen: Ontario demand sets the price structure for calves
Corn in Ontario at $232/tonne, U.S. corn in southern Alberta at $315
For the week ending Oct. 14, western Canadian yearling prices were steady to $4 higher compared to a week earlier. Calves in the range of 500 to 800 pounds traded $4-$6 lower in Alberta. However, in eastern Saskatchewan and in Manitoba, calves in this weight category were relatively unchanged compared to the previous week. In […] Read more

U.S. grains: Soybeans hold firm with harvest, domestic demand in focus
Corn eases as harvest watched, wheat retreats from two-week high
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Board of Trade soybean futures firmed for a second straight session on Tuesday amid thin technical trading, as strong domestic demand eased concerns about supplies growing as the U.S. harvest continued. Corn inched down while traders monitored the U.S. harvest progress, as investors watched Israel’s war with Palestinian militant group […] Read more

Pulse weekly outlook: Smaller North American dry bean crops to underpin prices
Canada's edible bean crop estimated smallest since 2016
MarketsFarm — Variable weather conditions during the 2023 growing season cut into edible bean production in some key North American growing regions, with tighter supplies overall likely to keep prices well supported. “The whole world is a little short of beans this year,” said Mitch Coulter, executive director of the Northarvest Bean Growers Association in […] Read more

Fund short position grows in canola
Funds shift to net short in CBOT soybeans
MarketsFarm — The managed money net short position in ICE canola futures continued to grow in early October as speculators liquidated long positions and put on new shorts, according to the latest Commitments of Traders report from the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). As of Oct. 10, the net managed-money short position in canola […] Read more