CBOT November 2020 soybeans with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Corn, soy, wheat futures surge on lower-than-expected stocks

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Board of Trade grain and soybean futures soared on Wednesday after the U.S. Department of Agriculture surprised traders by reporting crop inventories that were smaller than expected. Supply levels have declined after China, the world’s top soybean importer, stepped up its purchases of U.S. farm goods this summer. Corn supplies […] Read more


Lab trials of a manure-derived seed treatment have usually shown increased root growth (as seen on the right) as well as better resistance to environmental stressors.

Happy accident: Researchers discover promising new seed treatment

How it works is still a mystery, but new compound boosts germination, root development, and resistance

Reading Time: 5 minutes Good things generally don’t happen by accident in science — they’re the result of countless hours of trial and error, replication and peer review. However, University of Saskatchewan researchers may be looking at the closest thing to a scientific miracle: A natural seed treatment that increases germination in just about any crop you can name, […] Read more






(4loops/iStock/Getty Images)

Pulse weekly outlook: Peas, lentils see some strength

Lentil trade watching India

MarketsFarm — Canadian pea and lentil markets have shown some post-harvest strength in recent weeks, with good offshore demand providing support. “On the yellow pea side, it’s China, and on lentils, it’s basically India,” Marcos Mosnaim, of Globeways Canada, said of the strength in both markets. Yellow peas are currently trading as high as $7.50 […] Read more



CBOT November 2020 soybeans with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Soybeans end down on harvest pressure

Chicago corn, wheat futures climb

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures fell on Monday on the outlook for favourable harvest weather in the heart of the Midwest, where producers are poised to sell soybeans and store their corn, analysts said. Traders were also squaring positions ahead of quarterly grain stocks reports due midweek from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. […] Read more

The White Pass border crossing between Alaska and northwestern British Columbia, about 25 km north of Skagway, Alaska. The proposed A2A line would largely skirt B.C. en route from Alberta to Alaska. (Thierry64/iStock/Getty Images)

Trump-backed Canadian railway to Alaska faces high hurdles

Proponents say line could move grain, fertilizer as well as oil

Winnipeg/Washington | Reuters — A private-sector proposal endorsed by U.S. President Donald Trump to build a railway from Canada’s oil sands to ports in Alaska would free landlocked crude but faces numerous steep challenges. Trump wrote on Twitter over the weekend that he would issue a permit for the Alaska-Alberta Railway Development Corporation (A2A Rail) […] Read more