CBOT November 2023 soybeans with 20-, 30- and 50-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Soy futures stumble as trade awaits harvest, crop data

U.S. corn harvesting starts early in some areas

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures fell on Thursday as grain traders waited for farmers to harvest their fields and the government to release updated crop estimates next week. Most-active soybean futures ended down 16-3/4 cents at $13.59-1/2 a bushel at the Chicago Board of Trade (all figures US$). CBOT wheat futures declined 9-1/4 […] Read more

Liberia-flagged bulker K Sukret, carrying grain under the Black Sea Grain Initiative, waits for inspection in the southern anchorage of Istanbul on May 17, 2023. (Photo: Reuters/Mehmet Emin Caliskan)

UN working on guarantees for Russia to restore grain deal, Moscow skeptical

Bombing of Ukraine ports, grain facilities erodes other partners' goodwill, Guterres says

Reuters — The United Nations is “actively engaged” in trying to improve Russia’s grain and fertilizer exports in a bid to convince Moscow to again allow the safe Black Sea export of Ukraine grain, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Thursday. “We believe that it’s necessary to create a system of mutual guarantee,” Guterres told reporters on […] Read more


“At this time, it would be difficult for me to anticipate reopening the 2023 program. We’re all waiting to see what 2024 will bring.” – Mark Redmond.

OFCAF applications still on hold

Key program provider still battling with applications from early 2023

Reading Time: 3 minutes Those hoping to apply for a popular cost-share program in 2023 must play a waiting game. Results Driven Agriculture Research, one of three Alberta administrators of the On-Farm Climate Action Fund (OFCAF), put new applications on hold May 10. An early news release pegged Aug. 15 as a possible reopening date. A newer guess suggests […] Read more

ICE November 2023 canola with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

ICE weekly outlook: Little downside for canola, trader says

'I wouldn’t look for a big collapse'

MarketsFarm — After trading rangebound during the week before the Labour Day long weekend, canola started the month of September by taking a tumble. The November canola contract stayed between $800-$821 per tonne from Aug. 24 to Sept. 1, with closing prices between $809-$812/tonne. When ICE Futures resumed trading Tuesday, the price dropped $13.90, to […] Read more


CBOT December 2023 corn with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

CBOT weekly outlook: Poor crop ratings keep soy, corn supported

Major changes not expected in next WASDE

MarketsFarm — Hot and dry weather conditions cutting into crop ratings for soybeans and corn in the U.S. could see prices for both crops rise above nearby chart resistance levels, although the looming harvest may temper the upside potential. Both soybeans and corn were rated 53 per cent good-to-excellent in the latest weekly crop report […] Read more

CBOT November 2023 soybeans with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Soy futures jump as heat, dryness hurt crop more than expected

USDA rates soy, corn crops least good-to-excellent since 2012

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Board of Trade soybean futures jumped on Wednesday after weekly U.S. government data showed crop conditions deteriorated more than expected during hot, dry weather. Reduced crop ratings fuelled expectations among traders that the U.S. Department of Agriculture may cut its yield forecast in a monthly report due next week. USDA […] Read more


Investing in clubroot research

Investing in clubroot research

Reading Time: < 1 minute Clubroot research in Alberta is getting a big boost. Results Driven Agriculture Research, the Alberta Canola Producers Commission and the Saskatchewan Canola Development Commission have awarded $1.25 million to Stephen Strelkov at the University of Alberta to lead an expert team in: As part of the five-year project, the team is expected to contribute to […] Read more

New clubroot strains discovered

New clubroot strains discovered

Some resistant canola varieties are susceptible

Reading Time: < 1 minute University of Alberta researchers say new strains of clubroot have been discovered in fields across the Prairies, including several capable of infecting canola plants bred to resist the disease.  They identified 25 unique clubroot pathotypes from samples collected from more than 250 fields in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba in 2019 and 2020. Seven of the […] Read more


Container ships pass through locks on the Panama Canal in this file photo. (CIA.gov)

Panama Canal water levels at historic lows, restrictions to remain

Lake feeding canal low on rainfall

Panama City | Reuters — The Panama Canal’s water levels have not recovered enough as the end of the rainy season approaches and limits on daily transit and vessel draft will stay in place for the rest of the year and throughout 2024, the waterway’s authority said on Tuesday. The restrictions, implemented earlier this year […] Read more

Green lentils. (Savany/iStock/Getty Images)

Pulse weekly outlook: Poor monsoon rains cut into India production

Canadian crops also expected lower

MarketsFarm — Disappointing monsoon rains in India this year are expected to cut into the country’s pulse production, according to reports out of the country. Crop production in India is highly dependent on the monsoon rains that typically soak the country from June through September, but the moisture to date was about nine per cent […] Read more