Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn and soybean futures rose on Wednesday as plans to ease lockdown measures and a move by U.S. President Donald Trump to keep meat factories open tempered fears about demand destruction caused by the coronavirus epidemic. Wheat futures slid, hitting a one-month low as rains in Europe and the Black […] Read more

U.S. grains: Soy rises on stronger Brazilian currency
Wheat pressured by rain relief across Europe, export lull

Lower grain production predicted from Europe in 2020
MarketsFarm — European grain production is expected to be down slightly in 2020, according to the first forecast for the year from European trade association Coceral. In the report, released Thursday, Coceral pegged total grain production for the European Union and United Kingdom in 2020 at 302.7 million tonnes, which would be down from the […] Read more

Poor Chinese demand a setback for grain exports
MarketsFarm — Canadian grain exports from licensed facilities are running well behind the previous year’s pace, due primarily to a sharp reduction in movement to China, according to latest monthly data from the Canadian Grain Commission. Total exports at Dec. 31 of grain, oilseed and pulse crops for the 2019-20 crop year to date came […] Read more

Canola shipments boost Thunder Bay port activity
MarketsFarm — Cargo movement through the Port of Thunder Bay is running ahead of the previous year’s pace, with some of the extra movement tied to increased canola exports to Europe, according to the latest data from the port authority. Total cargo movement in September of 1.1 million tonnes compares with the 919,386 tonnes reported […] Read more

Ample world malt barley supply to limit export prices
MarketsFarm — Canadian malt barley growers may be dealing with adverse harvest conditions that could lead to quality downgrades in some areas — while world supplies of the key beer ingredient remain more than sufficient to meet global demand. “There’s no real indication at this time that we’ll see a significant up move (in price),” […] Read more

The news is not good — but it will get better, say market analysts
Harvest is one of the worst times to look for good news in wheat markets, but prices should soon rally
Reading Time: 3 minutes It’s not hard to find bad news these days when it comes to wheat markets. Recent news stories include the USDA surprising analysts by raising its production forecast (by 59 million bushels), European wheat fields coming through a record-breaking heat wave in fine shape, and the threat from Black Sea producers continuing to rise. (For […] Read more
Shut out of China, Canada finds canola buyers in drought-damaged Europe
Winnipeg/Paris | Reuters — Crop-scorching drought in Europe is providing Canadian canola farmers a timely new opportunity to move supplies that have piled up since China stopped buying this year. Rising European sales are taking some of the sting out of losing the Chinese market for Canadian farmers, although ICE canola futures prices are down […] Read more

U.S. grains: Soy, corn, wheat firm ahead of USDA monthly data
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean, corn and wheat futures closed higher on Wednesday as traders adjusted positions a day before a monthly U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) report in which analysts expect the government to lower its 2019 U.S. yield estimates for corn and soybeans. The report due on Thursday is drawing extra interest […] Read more

Barley ‘price war’ seen sparked by China, Saudi demand drop
Paris | Reuters — A drop in demand from China and Saudi Arabia sent barley prices tumbling in recent weeks, despite low global supply, and price pressure may continue if harvest prospects for next season remain good, analysts at Strategie Grains said. The barley market rallied earlier in the 2018-19 season with weather-hit crops in […] Read more

French, German farmers destroy crops after GMOs found in Bayer seeds
Paris | Reuters — Bayer said on Wednesday that farmers in France and Germany were digging up thousands of hectares of rapeseed fields after traces of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) banned for cultivation were found in seeds sold by the company. GMO crops are widely grown across the world, but they remain controversial in Europe, […] Read more