CBOT November 2021 soybeans (candlesticks) with Bollinger bands (20,2) and ICE November 2021 canola (yellow line, left column). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Soybean futures fall after rain

Chicago corn, wheat futures both mixed

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Board of Trade corn soybean futures fell on Thursday, pressured by rain in key growing areas of the U.S. Midwest this week, traders said. “I think it is probably confirmation of fairly widespread rain in areas that were in really dire straits,” said Chuck Shelby, president of Risk Management Commodities. […] Read more


ICE July 2021 canola (candlesticks) with 20-day movjng average (green line), ICE November 2021 canola (yellow line) and CBOT July 2021 soybeans (black line, left column). (Barchart)

ICE weekly outlook: Weather, carryout support canola

MarketsFarm — As higher-than-normal temperatures become almost a weekly occurrence in Western Canada amidst tightening carryout stocks, canola seems primed for another extended rally. Despite rains in Western Canada over the past three weeks, providing some relief for canola crops and triggering fund liquidation on the markets, carryout remains very low, with warmer temperatures exacerbating […] Read more

MGEX September 2021 spring wheat (candlesticks) with 20-day moving average (green line) and CBOT September 2021 wheat and corn (yellow and orange lines). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Wheat rallies on Plains weather concerns

Chicago soybeans, corn weaker

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat futures rose on Wednesday, led by gains in MGEX spring wheat contracts that firmed on concerns that dry conditions in key growing areas of the northern U.S. Plains and Canada could limit the size of the harvests. Soybean futures were lower as improving crop prospects in the U.S. Midwest […] Read more


MGEX July 2021 spring wheat (candlesticks) with CBOT and K.C. July 2021 winter wheats (yellow and green lines). (Barchart)

CBOT weekly outlook: MGEX wheat spread widens over winter wheats

MarketsFarm — Hot, dry growing conditions in key spring wheat-growing regions of the northern U.S. and Canadian Prairies have seen Minneapolis (MGEX) spring wheat futures widen their spread over Chicago and Kansas City winter wheat contracts over the past few weeks — with additional strength likely given the current weather forecasts. Nearby spring wheat futures, […] Read more

While the DOT autonomous platform (shown here at a recent seeding demonstration at the Olds College Smart Farm) is scaled for large farms, Monarch’s fully electric, driver-optional tractor (shown below) is designed for small operations, such as vineyards and orchards. But both represent important milestones in the evolution of farm equipment, say experts.

DOT earns passing grades at college, but not straight A’s

Fuel and labour are issues but the driverless implement shows plenty of potential in Olds College trials

Reading Time: 4 minutes Is the DOT ready for a full-time job on your operation? It might be too early to say, but researchers know the self-propelled, driverless tractor-minus-the-tractor finishes what it starts. “Every mission we started with DOT we were able to finish with DOT,” said Joy Agnew with Olds College. “There was never a catastrophic failure or […] Read more


(DarcyMaulsby/iStock/Getty Images)

Potash partnership with BHP ‘not our focus,’ Nutrien executive says

Prices surging on rising demand, Belarus sanctions

Winnipeg | Reuters — Canadian potash producer Nutrien is not focused on any potential collaboration with miner BHP Group, a senior Nutrien executive said Tuesday in the company’s first public comments about reports of possible co-operation. BHP has for years been constructing a potash mine at Jansen, Sask., near Nutrien’s six mines in the province. […] Read more

(Peggy Greb photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

Pulse weekly outlook: Manitoba dry beans in good shape

MarketsFarm — Despite temperatures ranging from near-freezing lows to sweltering highs and receiving little precipitation, Manitoba’s dry edible bean crop has weathered the conditions well, according to the province’s pulse specialist. “We’ve had some interesting weather over the last week to two weeks,” Dennis Lange, pulse specialist for Manitoba Agriculture at Altona, said, referring to […] Read more


CBOT December 2021 corn (candlesticks) with MGEX, CBOT and K.C. September 2021 wheats (green, yellow and orange lines). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Corn, soy fall as Midwest rains seen boosting crop health

CBOT September wheat down, MGEX September wheat up

Chicago | Reuters — Forecasts for rain in the U.S. Midwest pushed corn and soybean futures lower on Tuesday, traders said. New-crop December corn, which tracks the crop that farmers will harvest in the fall, notched the biggest decline. The contract sagged 3.2 per cent as the storms are expected to provide a much-needed boost […] Read more

Nutrien’s potash mine near Rocanville, Sask. (Nutrien.com)

Nutrien to further bump up potash output

'Continued tightening' in market cited as potash producer Belarus sanctioned

Winnipeg | Reuters — Canadian fertilizer producer Nutrien said Monday it would boost its 2021 potash output by 500,000 tonnes, after the European Union and others imposed new trade sanctions on Belarus. Nutrien’s increase takes its potash sales outlook this year to a record-high range of 13.3 million to 13.8 million tonnes, and follows a […] Read more