CBOT September 2023 soft red winter wheat with 20-day moving average, MGEX September 2023 hard red spring wheat (yellow line) and K.C. September 2023 hard red winter wheat (orange line). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Wheat surges on slow harvesting, poor crop conditions

Corn hits 2-1/2-year low and ends mixed, soy mostly firm

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat futures surged on Wednesday as slow winter wheat harvesting and deteriorating spring crop conditions fuelled buying and short covering that lifted prices from 2-1/2-week lows. The wheat rally pulled corn up from 2-1/2-year lows despite expanded plantings and recent rains that lessened concerns about drought-reduced yields. Soybeans firmed on […] Read more

MGEX September 2023 hard red spring wheat with 20-day moving average and K.C. September 2023 hard red winter wheat (orange line). (Barchart)

Prairie cash wheat: Canadian bids drop with U.S. futures

Canadian dollar also down on week

MarketsFarm — Spring wheat bids in Western Canada dropped sharply during the week ended Thursday, as a selloff in U.S. futures weighed on values. Average Canada Western Red Spring (CWRS, 13.5 per cent protein) wheat prices were down by $23.50-$25.40 per tonne across the Prairies, according to price quotes from a cross-section of delivery points […] Read more


File photo of the facade of the U.S. Department of Agriculture building in Washington, D.C. (Camrocker/iStock/Getty Images)

U.S. farmers plant more corn, less soybeans in 2023

Total U.S. wheat acres estimated up about 8.5 per cent

MarketsFarm — Farmers in the United States seeded more corn and less soybeans than earlier intentions in 2023, according to updated acreage data Friday from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Total corn plantings in the country were estimated by USDA at 94.1 million acres, which was a million acres above the top end of trade […] Read more

(Thinkstock photo)

Prairie cash wheat: Spring wheat vaults higher, durum nudges up

U.S. wheat futures, Canadian dollar up on week

MarketsFarm — Spring wheat prices on the Canadian Prairies experienced sharp upticks while gains for durum were much more subdued. A drop in U.S. wheat ratings fueled the upswing in wheat prices, as dry conditions took further hold with approximately 15 per cent of U.S. spring wheat now in drought. While that’s up four points […] Read more


(Thinkstock photo)

Prairie cash wheat: Spring wheat bids higher, durum down

Not much rain outside northern, central Alberta

MarketsFarm — Warmer-than-normal temperatures and ongoing dryness in both Western Canada and the U.S. helped raise Prairie wheat bids for the week ended Thursday. Rains fell onto parts of northern and central Alberta on Thursday, but the rest of the Prairies only saw sporadic showers, if any, during the week. Traders on the Chicago Board […] Read more

(File photo by Dave Bedard)

Fund short position grows in canola

Traders net long in soy, K.C. wheat

MarketsFarm — The speculative short position in canola grew to is largest level in nearly three months in early June, as investors covered longs and put on more bearish bets, according to the latest Commitments of Traders report from the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). As of Tuesday (June 6), the net managed money […] Read more


(Thinkstock photo)

Prairie cash wheat: Hard red spring wheat bids rise

MGEX wheat rally offsets rising loonie

MarketsFarm — Spring wheat bids in Western Canada were mostly higher during the week ended Thursday, as a rally in Minneapolis spring wheat futures countered the bearish influence of a rising Canadian dollar. Average Canada Western Red Spring (CWRS, 13.5 per cent protein) wheat prices were up by $8.80-$10.70 per tonne across the Prairies, according […] Read more

Photo: Thinkstock

CBOT weekly outlook: Ending stocks of corn, soy predicted to rise

Ending stocks of wheat projected to drop as drought hits Kansas winter wheat

MarketsFarm — Ahead of supply and demand estimates from the U.S. Department of Agriculture due out Friday, analyst Tom Lilja of Progressive Ag in Fargo, N.D. predicted increases in 2023-24 ending stocks for U.S. corn and soybeans and decline for wheat. The average trade guess for wheat going into this month’s report was approximately 570 […] Read more


High yields and improved varieties are boosting winter wheat acres in Manitoba, says Alex Griffiths of Ducks Unlimited Canada.

Improved varieties contributing to rise in winter wheat acres

Acreage is still small, but more Manitoba farmers are growing the crop and reporting high profits

Reading Time: 3 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – New varieties of winter wheat are boosting the bottom line of growers and fuelling an upsurge in acres in Manitoba. “Winter wheat is the most profitable cereal crop for many farmers in our program,” said Alex Griffiths, a winter wheat specialist with Ducks Unlimited Canada in Brandon, Man. “In the past two […] Read more

If you already have a precision planter for corn, it can work for other crops. Although it produces better, more even emergence, the yield benefit isn't always there, says Gurbir Dhillon, who has been conducting precision planting trials for several years.

Precision planting: Good looks and high yields don’t always go together

Precision-planted crops look great at emergence, but lose that edge if timely rains don't come

Reading Time: 3 minutes If your greatest joy in farming is seeing nice, even emergence, you can’t beat a precision planter. “We tried a bunch of pulse crops, including field peas, chickpeas, lentils, faba beans, soybeans, and we also tried it on irrigated durum and hemp,” said Farming Smarter researcher Gurbir Dhillon. “Seedling emergence and stand establishment improved across […] Read more