New ICE wheat contract will struggle

Liquidity A Winnipeg contract may have trouble competing with the established spring wheat market in Minneapolis

Reading Time: 2 minutes The outlook for the new ICE Future Canada’s wheat futures market isn’t great, according to Neil Townsend, the Canadian Wheat Board’s North American market analyst. The long-running spring wheat futures market in Minneapolis didn’t get enough business before the Winnipeg market launched in January, he said. As a result, Minneapolis wasn’t “liquid” enough — a […] Read more

CWB officials promote pools at grower meetings

Reading Time: 3 minutes While the Canadian Wheat Board had its monopoly, some farmers complained getting a “good, average price” for wheat wasn’t good enough. But in the coming open market, the board is betting lots will think that’s pretty good. “The average of the market through a pooling operation does actually return people the best value, overall, over […] Read more


Western Canadian flaxseed prices edge higher

Reading Time: 2 minutes Western Canadian flaxseed cash bids have advanced in the past month, with fresh export demand along with tight supply concerns contributing to the firmness, said an industry participant. “The Chinese market has really helped out western Canadian flax prices this year,” said Chuck Penner, an analyst with Left Field Commodity Research in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The […] Read more

Tit for tat: U.S. farmers may want to ship to Canada

Reading Time: 3 minutes Canada is considering changes to its wheat quality-control system making it easier for American farmers to ship wheat north of the border after the Canadian Wheat Board loses its monopoly Aug. 1. “We are working on an initiative that will see the grading systems more in parallel,” Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz told reporters Feb. 24 […] Read more


Canola cools off as crushers curb demand

Reading Time: 3 minutes Canola futures on the ICE Futures Canada trading platform managed to hold on to small gains during the week ended March 2. Fresh export demand from Mexico, along with some pretty good chart-based speculative demand, facilitated the upward price action. Concerns about dry conditions heading into spring seeding on the Prairies helped to influence some […] Read more

Breakaway gap alerts of counter-seasonal soybean rally

Reading Time: 3 minutes On December 19, 2011, a breakaway gap materialized, alerting soybean producers and traders alike to a sudden change in the price direction of the soybean market. In fact, this gap not only confirmed an end to the downward price spiral, but it marked the beginning of a counter-seasonal rally, with soybean prices rallying $1.65 per […] Read more



Cargill first to sign handling agreement with CWB

Reading Time: 2 minutes Cargill has become the first Prairie grain handler to commit elevator and port terminal space to an overhauled CWB. The deal, announced March 1, marks CWB’s first for grain-handling services since the federal government moved to wind down the former Canadian Wheat Board’s single marketing desk for Prairie wheat and barley, effective Aug. 1 this […] Read more



Canola acreage seen approaching a record 20 million acres

Reading Time: 4 minutes Canola futures on the ICE Futures Canada trading platform were mixed during the week ended Jan. 20, with the nearby months seeing small gains while the deferred values were slightly weaker. A continued strong export lineup at Canada’s West Coast, along with strong domestic demand from the processing sector, helped to generate some of the […] Read more