Crops
CNS Canada — CBOT (Chicago Board of Trade) soybean futures posted solid gains over the past week, but backed away Wednesday, which could be a sign of further losses to come as market participants await direction from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s acreage report on Tuesday. John Weyer, co-director of the commercial hedge division at […] Read more
CBOT weekly outlook: Soy, corn futures seen hinging on USDA data
ICE weekly outlook: Weather key to canola market
CNS Canada — ICE Futures Canada canola contracts climbed to their highest levels in two years during the week ended Wednesday, with mounting weather concerns across the Prairies the key driver in the market. “This thing will keep going until we get some rain,” said Jerry Klassen, manager of GAP S.A. Grains and Produits in […] Read more
Reservoir formed by Hoover Dam dips to record low
Reuters — The largest capacity reservoir in the United States has hit its lowest water level in history following years of severe drought that have dramatically reduced flows from the Colorado River, water managers said on Wednesday. Officials said Nevada’s Lake Mead, the 79-year-old reservoir created by the massive Hoover Dam, registered 1,074.98 feet (327.7 […] Read more
Food giant wants organic acres to double
Reading Time: < 1 minute General Mills is one of the processors investing in the Prairie Organic Grain Initiative (POGI). The Minnesota-based multinational is increasing its focus on health-conscious consumers. It wants to double natural and organic sales to $1 billion by 2020, so it’s backing efforts to get more grain farmers to go organic. More on the Alberta Farmer: […] Read more
U.S. grains: Wheat falls on profit-taking after two-week high
Chicago | Reuters –– Chicago Board of Trade wheat futures fell on Wednesday after a seesaw session, pulled down by profit-taking from a two-week peak and as the hard red winter wheat harvest expanded in the U.S. southern Plains, traders said. Corn and soybeans also declined, reversing midsession gains as producers sold old-crop supplies. But […] Read more
Ag chem sector defends 2,4-D over cancer classification
North America’s crop herbicide sector is defending one of its classics against a new classification from the World Health Organization’s cancer research agency. The WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) on Monday released its classification of “possibly carcinogenic to humans” for 2,4-D herbicide, along with new classifications for now-defunct insecticides DDT and lindane. […] Read more
NOT WORKING: Alberta’s food processing industry needs a big fix
If the province wants a vibrant food industry, it will ‘have to do things differently,’ says expert
Reading Time: 3 minutes Alberta’s food-processing industry faces a grim future without a “disruptive intervention,” says an agri-food industry veteran. “Current approaches toward innovation and growth — particularly in the food industry here in Alberta — are not working,” said Jerry Bouma of Toma & Bouma Management Consultants. “If we seek success and want to grow this industry, we’re […] Read more
For producers, it’s wait and pray time for rain
Pastures and hayfields have been hardest hit but AFSC analyst still expects a ‘slightly below-average crop’
Reading Time: 3 minutes The conditions across Alberta can be summed up in three words: It’s awfully dry. “As of Tuesday, we’ve been getting some moisture here in central Alberta, which has been a nice break, but I don’t know how general that moisture has been,” AFSC risk analyst James Wright said in an interview June 12. “We haven’t […] Read more
CME’s futures pit closures delayed to July 6 or later
Chicago | Reuters –– CME Group said Tuesday it will delay the closure of its open-outcry futures markets in Chicago and New York by at least one trading day due to a technical revision in its filing with the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission. The final open-outcry session is now expected to be on July […] Read more
U.S. grains: Wheat soars as rains threaten Midwest’s harvest
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat futures jumped about four per cent on Tuesday on technical buying coupled with concerns about rains delaying the Midwest harvest, traders said. Corn set a five-week high on declining U.S. crop conditions while nearby soybeans fell on softening cash values and stepped-up farmer selling. At the Chicago Board of […] Read more