Crops
London/Reuters — Rapeseed production in Western Europe looks set to increase this season but early promise may not be fully realized, crop analysts said on Wednesday. Crops were sown in favourable conditions, enjoyed a safe passage through winter and had healthy growth in the spring but yields have failed to meet expectations in both north-east […] Read more
Rapeseed crop may not be as big as first thought in W.Europe
GRAINS: U.S. corn slides to 4-yr lows on bright harvest prospects
U.S. corn futures drifted to fresh four-year lows on Tuesday, erasing early gains as favorable weather forecasts bolstered expectations for a bumper harvest, traders said. Wheat followed corn down. Soybeans closed mostly lower, led by new-crop months, but the spot August contract rose on export demand for U.S. soybeans and soymeal. At the Chicago Board […] Read more
Ag Canada tightens grain/oilseed stocks projections
CNS — Ending stocks of Canada’s major grains and oilseeds at the close of the upcoming 2014/15 (Jul/Nov) crop year will be tighter than earlier projections, according to updated supply/demand tables released by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s market analysis branch on July 22. The latest tables take into account the latest acreage estimates released by […] Read more
Canadian wheat bids mixed despite continued U.S. losses
Average bids for Canadian Western Red Spring (CWRS) wheat weakened slightly during week ended July 21 at a cross section of delivery points across Western Canada. However, Canadian bids lagged the U.S. futures to the downside and basis improvements were seen at many locations. On July 21, average spot bids for 13.5% CWRS across Manitoba, […] Read more
GRAINS: U.S. corn drops to four-year low as weather stays favourable
U.S. corn futures fell 2 per cent to a four-year low on Monday with all months notching contract lows as ideal weather in the heart of the Midwest signaled a bumper harvest, traders said. Soybeans were also sharply lower, with wheat following suit. At the Chicago Board of Trade at 12:05 p.m. CDT (1705 GMT), […] Read more
Grain marketing: Is it time to pull the trigger?
Grain is moving, elevators are buying, and price forecasts aren’t rosy. Is it time to start selling this year’s crop?
Reading Time: 5 minutes Rimbey farmer Greg Service avoided the worst of the winter’s grain backlog. Although you couldn’t call him lucky — half of his acres were hailed out last year. “We got paid out by hail insurance, so cash flow wasn’t a big concern,” he said. “Mother Nature did my marketing for me.” So far, this year’s […] Read more
French wheat premiums soar as market fears more rain damage
Paris/Reuters — Premiums for higher-quality wheat in France jumped on Monday as heavy weekend rain added to fears that this year’s harvest in the European Union’s top producer and exporter will be spoiled by poor quality. Farmers in eastern France have reported alarming quality indications for wheat, blamed on repeated rainfall in early July in […] Read more
Recent dry weather slows stripe rust spread
Producers are encouraged to monitor for the presence of the long, bright orange stripes
Reading Time: 2 minutes Seven winter wheat and 18 spring wheat fields were surveyed for stripe rust in the Lethbridge, Vulcan, Newell and Taber counties southern Alberta. The recent hot dry weather in southern Alberta has slowed the rate of spread of the pathogen. Fields in the Vulcan and Newell Counties were showing signs of drought stress. In general, […] Read more
Weekly Alberta insect report — a few bertha hot spots
Reading Time: < 1 minute In his weekly Call of the Land broadcast, Alberta Agriculture insect management specialist Scott Meers says bertha armyworm levels are fairly low across the province with the exception of some hot spots, with the highest numbers in a trap east of Lacombe and another west of Stettler. Meers says there have been reports of skippers, mostly […] Read more
GRAINS: Wheat futures fall a day after Ukraine crash price spike
Reuters — U.S. wheat futures fell 3.4 per cent on Friday, erasing gains posted a day earlier following the downing of a Malaysian commercial airliner over eastern Ukraine, while Chicago Board of Trade corn futures also declined and soybeans were mostly lower. Investors were worried an escalation of the conflict between Ukraine and Russia, both […] Read more