The weather during the last half of March provided some optimism about a normal start to spring. Farmers across the Prairies were preparing equipment, taking delivery of seed and fertilizer and looking forward to getting out into the field. Then the weather in early April dropped significant amounts of rain and snow across northern and […] Read more
Burnett on Markets: Weather woes span the Prairies
Variable Prairie weather makes for uncertain spring ahead
If nothing else, a rainy harvest season helped replenish topsoil moisture
MarketsFarm — Late-season rains wreaked havoc on the 2019 harvest season but were helpful in restoring topsoil moisture to key growing regions in the Prairies. Since snow coverage has been variable across the Prairies so far in 2020, however, the growing season may get off to a rocky start. “If we take a look at […] Read more
Pulse weekly outlook: India pulse estimates improve
MarketsFarm — Conditions are still not looking good for India’s kharif (summer) production, and in particular for pulse crops. Excessive monsoon rains, followed by above-average post-monsoon rains, have hurt production, according to a report. The excessive rains resulted in flooding in 13 states in India and the National Bulk Handling Corp. (NBHC) estimated Monday that […] Read more
Soggy pastures need extra management
Supplemental feeding can cause long-lasting damage, says specialist
Reading Time: 2 minutes Waterlogged pastures can suffer considerable damage when cattle are turned out for supplemental feeding, so management is needed to minimize sod damage, says a provincial forage and beef specialist. “Pelleted or cubed feeds, as well as grain, are perhaps the easiest to manage because animals can be fed these feeds on different areas of the […] Read more
Pulse weekly outlook: India’s monsoons catch up, but crops still at risk
MarketsFarm — Heavy rains in recent weeks have brought India’s monsoon rainfall back to normal levels after a slow, dry start to the season, according to reports out of the country. However, flooding and uneven distribution of moisture could still hurt crop production. A normal monsoon is defined as 96-104 per cent of the 50-year […] Read more
Nutrien sees big corn comeback in 2020, following U.S. floods
Winnipeg | Reuters – Fertilizer producer and farm supply dealer Nutrien Ltd expects U.S. farmers to plant as many as 95 million acres (38.5 million hectares) of corn next year, the most in seven years, after a frustrating year of floods, its chief executive said. The wet conditions left millions of acres unplanted across the […] Read more
Cargill quarterly profit drops on trade tensions, U.S. floods
Chicago | Reuters — Global commodities trader Cargill reported a 41 per cent drop in adjusted quarterly profit on Thursday, citing supply disruptions stemming from the U.S.-China trade war and also flooding in the central United States that hit marketing and transportation of grains and livestock. Cargill, the largest privately held U.S. company, said adjusted […] Read more
U.S. Midwest floods to weigh on diesel demand come harvest
Putnam County, Ill. | Reuters — A disappointing planting season due to massive flooding in the U.S. Midwest this spring is expected to have spillover effects on diesel demand during harvest season, analysts and traders said. Heavy storms that lingered over the Midwest left millions of acres unseeded and put crops that were planted late […] Read more
Major grain traders face one-two punch from U.S. floods, trade war
Chicago | Reuters — Severe U.S. weather likely dented earnings for large grain companies including Archer Daniels Midland and Bunge for a second straight quarter, adding to headwinds from a still-unresolved U.S.-China trade war, analysts and economists said. ADM and Bunge, as well as peers Cargill and Louis Dreyfus, known as the ABCD quartet of […] Read more
U.S. grains: Corn posts steepest drop in three years on USDA acreage view
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn futures plunged by the most in nearly three years on Friday after the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) pegged U.S. planted acres well above trade expectations despite rains and flooding this spring that disrupted sowing. Soybeans firmed on USDA’s smaller-than-expected acreage estimate, while wheat fell in tandem with plummeting […] Read more
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