Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures tumbled on Thursday, with the most-active March contract down 1.6 per cent, the largest drop for soybeans in more than a month, after exporters canceled U.S. soybean sales to China. Chicago Board of Trade March wheat ended 4-1/4 cents lower at $4.72-1/4 per bushel, after hitting a one-month […] Read more
U.S. grains: Soybeans fall amid global export setbacks

Lower loonie helps farmers, but only so much
CNS Canada — The slumping price of oil continues to weigh on the Canadian dollar, while at the same time providing a boost to Canadian grain prices. Out-of-country buyers tend to more attracted to Canadian grain and wheat when the loonie is low, as they can get more product for their money. However, one market […] Read more

CBOT weekly outlook: Corn stays within range
CNS Canada –– Chicago Board of Trade corn futures stayed mostly range-bound for the week ended Wednesday; the corn market ebbed and flowed with crude oil and ideas of demand. However, it also felt technical pressure, according to Sean Lusk, a co-director at the commercial hedging services division of Walsh Trading in Chicago. “Corn keeps […] Read more

U.S. grains: Wheat snaps rally, soy firm, corn flat
Chicago | Reuters –– U.S. wheat futures fell on Wednesday on fund-driven technical selling and a proposal by Russia’s farm ministry to cut a wheat export tax, which tempered speculation about export restrictions. Corn coasted for the second straight day, while soybean futures rose on dry weather concerns in South America and southern Africa. At […] Read more

Major investment to build Farmers Edge’s data power
Canadian precision agronomy and farm data management firm Farmers Edge plans to keep taking its services to previously underserved acres around the world, with a major cash infusion from a group of its backers. Japanese commodities trading and investment firm Mitsui, Toronto commercial real estate company Osmington and the Green Growth Fund operated by investment […] Read more
Russia said considering export duties for corn, barley
Moscow | Reuters –– Russia’s agriculture ministry is considering introducing an export duty for corn and barley, Russian news agency Interfax reported Wednesday, citing First Deputy Minister Evgenii Gromyko. “We will discuss this question,” he said. Gromyko added that the question was planned to be discussed at a meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich, […] Read more

DuPont CEO sees little to concern regulators in Dow merger
Reuters — DuPont CEO Edward Breen said on Tuesday that antitrust regulators were likely to show “very little” concern about the company’s pending merger with Dow Chemical and were not expected to seek significant asset sales. Dupont and Dow plan to form a giant chemical and seed producer that would have a market value of […] Read more

U.S. grains: Wheat rises to one-month high on technicals
Chicago | Reuters –– Chicago Board of Trade wheat prices climbed to a one-month high Tuesday on chart-based buying and fund short-covering as the market digested news that Russia might limit grain exports, traders said. U.S. soybean futures retreated and corn closed lower after a volatile session. At the CBOT, March wheat settled up 3-1/4 […] Read more

Environment commissioner criticizes neonic registrations
Ottawa | Reuters — Canada’s official environmental watchdog on Tuesday expressed concern that authorities were allowing the long-term use of pesticides linked to bee deaths despite not having enough information about the products. Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) can grant a five-year provisional license to some products to give manufacturers time to provide […] Read more

Ontario weighs mandatory beekeeping practices in draft plan
Fresh off limiting farmers’ use of neonicotinoid seed treatments, the Ontario government now wants public comment on further moves it might make to improve the health of bees and other pollinators in the province. Among the “potential actions” up for consideration in the province’s new draft action plan are the use of public lands to expand […] Read more