CBOT December 2021 corn (candlesticks) with MGEX, CBOT and K.C. December 2021 wheats (green, yellow and orange lines). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Corn limit down as crop weather improves

Market retreats from rallies last week

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Board of Trade corn futures sank by the daily limit on Tuesday as forecasts for cooler, wetter U.S. weather eased concerns about unfavourable crop conditions. Prices pulled back after climbing 12 per cent last week on lower-than-anticipated U.S. plantings estimates from the Department of Agriculture. The estimates made the market […] Read more

This year’s drought conditions are increasing the blister beetle threat to cattle and other livestock.

High numbers of blister beetles in hay pose a danger for livestock

The amount of poison produced by the insects varies by species

This year’s dry weather is increasing the blister beetle threat to cattle and other livestock, North Dakota State University specialists say. “Blister beetles tend to be more numerous when grasshopper populations are high because the immature stage of blister beetles feeds on grasshopper eggs, and we have higher numbers of grasshoppers in drought years like […] Read more


Smoke rises from a wildfire over a hill at Kamloops, B.C. on July 1, 2021, in this screen grab obtained from a social media video. (Nicole Ritter via Reuters)

B.C. presses for ranchers to register before wildfires hit

Premises ID helps protect livestock in emergencies, province says

British Columbia’s provincial ag ministry hopes to shore up ranchers’ participation in the Premises Identification program against the risk of further wildfires this year. About two-thirds, or 5,200, of B.C.’s non-supply managed livestock producers, and all the supply-managed dairy cattle and poultry premises in the province, are registered in the program, the province said Wednesday. […] 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

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

U.S. grains: Soybeans, corn ease on inflation fears

Stronger U.S. dollar also pressures prices

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago soybean and corn futures eased on Thursday, pressured by a firming dollar and fears of food price inflation, though concerns of hot, dry weather in growing areas offered support, traders said. The most-active soybean contract on the Chicago Board of Trade fell 13-1/4 cents to $15.49-1/4 per bushel, while new-crop […] Read more



Flea beetle. (Photo courtesy Canola Council of Canada)

Forecast, flea beetles complicate canola timing

Dry conditions make ideal seeding time difficult to peg

Drought conditions, and the odds of more to come, have some Prairie canola growers pondering when to roll the dice on seeding, if they want to do more than feed the flea beetles. Small-seeded crops, such as canola, have garnered particular concern from agronomists and producers worried about germination, given power dry topsoil across much […] Read more


CBOT July 2021 corn with Bollinger (20,2) bands. (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Corn, soy extend multi-year highs

Tightening global supply picture supportive; CBOT wheat also up

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn and soybean futures closed firm on Friday after rocketing to multi-year highs this week on tightening domestic and global supplies, traders said. As stocks from the 2020 harvest dwindle, dryness in Brazil and a U.S. cold spell raised doubts about prospects for the 2021 corn crops in the world’s […] Read more

CBOT May 2021 soybeans with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Soy, corn up on unfavourable South American weather

USDA lowers ratings for Kansas, Texas wheat crops

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. grain and soybean futures rose on Tuesday in a turnaround from losses the previous session, as concerns increased about unfavorable weather in crop-growing regions of South America. Traders are watching the effects of heat and dryness in Argentina and rains in Brazil amid worries about potential yield losses. The countries […] Read more