Reading Time: 2 minutes It will — as usual — all depend on Mother Nature’s mood over the next couple of months, but much of Alberta is in a “desirable condition” when it comes to soil moisture reserves, says the latest provincial soil moisture update. “The greatest reserves are found throughout much of the southern Peace region and along […] Read more
Farm season well set up if there’s a normal spring
A warm, dry spring should allow most areas to get off to a good start, says provincial forecast
CBOT weekly outlook: Pandemic drives Chicago prices lower
MarketsFarm — The COVID-19 pandemic has continued to pressure U.S. markets, including the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT), according to Scott Capinegro, president of Barrington Commodities at Barrington, Ill. “It’s like that movie Groundhog Day. You wake up and it’s the same thing every day,” Capinegro said. There’s a domino effect in the grain industry […] Read more
Burnett on Markets: Suddenly agriculture is important
COVID-19 is putting food security in the spotlight
MarketsFarm — A trend has developed in the business news channels over the past week that has not been hard to miss. Suddenly the CEOs of big agriculture and food concerns are being featured front and centre during the business segments. Usually these companies are noted only when they release quarterly results and even then […] Read more
Temporary foreign workers to be allowed in, Canada reiterates
Ottawa | Reuters — Canada will allow temporary foreign workers with valid visas to enter the country, officials said on Friday, offering possible salvation to the agriculture industry even as Ottawa moves to limit the spread of a coronavirus outbreak. Canada’s labour-strapped farms rely heavily on nearly 60,000 temporary foreign workers (TFWs) to help plant […] Read more
Favourable growing conditions forecast for major ag regions
MarketsFarm — Canadian producers looking for challenging growing conditions elsewhere in the world to prop up commodity prices may be disappointed during the 2020 growing season. South America “If you’re looking for any help from South America for your canola or soybeans or corn, you’d better look somewhere else,” Drew Lerner, president of World Weather […] Read more
Zimbabwe says grain stocks running out after drought
Harare | Reuters — Zimbabwe has only 100,000 tonnes of grain in its strategic reserves, enough to last just over a month, as the southern African nation suffers the effects of a severe drought, according to the agriculture minister. More than half the country’s population faces food shortages after maize harvests halved last year. The […] Read more
U.S. books latest end to soy harvest in a decade
MarketsFarm —The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), in its oilseed crops outlook issued Wednesday, said the country’s 2019 soybean harvest will wind up the latest in 10 years. As of Sunday, the overall U.S. soybean harvest stood at 85 per cent complete, according to USDA’s weekly crop progress report. The pace was two points behind […] Read more
CBOT weekly outlook: Corn, soy prices to continue climbing
MarketsFarm — Prices on the Chicago Board of Trade will probably continue to climb, especially for corn and soybeans, according to Scott Capinegro of Barrington Commodities. “The basis remains strong and when the basis is strong, as far as I am concerned, that means the futures should be strong,” he said. Although CBOT bids have […] Read more
Manitoba sunflowers not calling it quits just yet
MarketsFarm — Manitoba farmers may have seeded the smallest sunflower acres in eight years this spring, but the crop is in reasonably good shape heading into the harvest later in the fall. “I do expect to see better crops this year than last year,” said Cody Burton, purchasing manager with Nestibo Agra at Deloraine, Man. […] Read more
Trump trade-war aid sows frustration in farm country
Rochester, Minnesota | Reuters — The U.S. government is paying Texas cotton farmer J. Walt Hagood US$145 an acre for losses related to U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade policies. But Minnesota soybean farmer Betsy Jensen will get just US$35 an acre. Both farmers’ sales have taken heavy blows in Trump’s trade war with China. Neither […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
