Barley market prospects

Barley market prospects

Reading Time: < 1 minute Barley prices have been slipping lower during this crop year. Neil Blue, provincial crops market analyst, says the seasonal pattern of barley prices implies that there should have been a price recovery following harvest, but that has not been the case. The tariff on Australian barley exports to China was dropped in August 2023 and […] Read more


“We are going to see some more blood in the water as we go through the Brazilian crop, unless something happens with weather — and if I knew what the weather was going to be like, I would be a very rich man.” – Brad Magnusson, CEO of Magnusson Consulting Group (inset).

Canola market hasn’t hit bottom yet

With low demand, the oilseed is expected to continue its downward trajectory

Reading Time: 2 minutes Canola prices have been falling steadily since reaching record highs in 2022, and according to agriculture markets analyst Brad Magnusson, they haven’t hit bottom yet. The CEO of Magnusson Consulting Group spoke to farmers at St. Jean Farm Days Jan. 10 in St. Jean Baptiste, Manitoba. “Demand is low,” he said, pointing to a graph […] Read more

Argentina farm exports halved in 2023

Reading Time: < 1 minute Argentine farm exports totalled about US$19.7 billion in 2023, data from the country’s major oilseeds crushing and export body show. That is a 51 per cent drop from the previous year, largely because bad weather reduced agricultural output.  December data from industry body CIARA-CEC showed in a monthly report that companies in the sector exported […] Read more



Wheat growers in the southern Brazilian state of Parana take advantage of a break in the weather to harvest wheat on Sept. 16.

Brazil muscles into wheat market

The agricultural superpower will be a fierce competitor, but is mainly striving for self-sufficiency

Reading Time: 3 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – Canadian wheat exporters are facing a new competitor in their second biggest market. “The rapid emergence of Brazil as an exporter in Indonesia and other foreign markets has been remarkable,” the U.S. Department of Agriculture said in its recent Grain: World Markets and Trade report. Indonesia bought 2.14 million tonnes of bulk […] Read more


Market sources say Russian wheat is being regularly offered for sale well below reported floor levels.

Why are Russian export prices roiling the wheat market?

Dissecting the factors around Russia’s grain movement and its impact on global markets

Reading Time: 3 minutes Russian wheat offers at a recent import tender by Egypt were all made at the same price, highlighting what traders classify as behind-the-scenes intervention by Russia’s government that is sowing confusion about the world’s biggest wheat-exporting country. Here is a more detailed look at what is happening: Russian policy In March, sources told Reuters that […] Read more

File photo of barley being unloaded at a grain terminal in Ukraine on June 23, 2022. (Photo: Reuters/Igor Tkachenko)

EU ag commissioner pushes for extension of Ukraine grain import ban

Restrictions due to expire Friday

Brussels/Bucharest | Reuters — The EU agriculture commissioner said on Tuesday said he believes the European Commission should extend a temporary ban on Ukraine imports into five neighouring EU states, as the measure helped boost exports outside the bloc. Ukraine has become entirely dependent on alternative European Union routes, called Solidarity Lanes, for its grain […] Read more


Liberia-flagged bulker K Sukret, carrying grain under the Black Sea Grain Initiative, waits for inspection in the southern anchorage of Istanbul on May 17, 2023. (Photo: Reuters/Mehmet Emin Caliskan)

Black Sea grain shipments shrink amid Ukraine deal doubts, Cargill exec says

'Grey/black' fleet seen handling more Russian traffic

London | Reuters — South American grain exports are set to overshadow Black Sea shipments this year as doubts grow over a U.N.-backed Ukraine deal and international traders cut commercial activities in Russia, a top executive with major commodities group Cargill said. The Black Sea grain deal, which allows the safe passage of grains through […] Read more

Signage on Viterra’s office building in Regina. (Dave Bedard photo)

Viterra in talks to merge with Bunge, source says

Merger would vault Viterra into top tier of grain trade

Reuters — Global grain trader Viterra is in talks to merge with U.S. rival Bunge Ltd., according to a person familiar with the matter, in a potential mega-deal that would reshape the top tier of global grains merchants. There is no certainty that Viterra, part-owned by Switzerland-based mining and trading giant Glencore, will be able […] Read more