MarketsFarm — Forecasts calling for more precipitation in the U.S. and trade talks with China are having powerful effects on prices at the Chicago Board of Trade this week from where one analyst sits. Steve Georgy of Allendale Inc. in McHenry, Ill. said the forecast has been driving soybean prices to new contract lows. Already […] Read more

CBOT weekly outlook: Weather, trade talks strong influences

U.S. grains: Export worries, big supplies drag soybean futures to new lows
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures fell to fresh contract lows on Wednesday, pressured by sluggish exports and worries that rain-delayed U.S. corn seeding would expand the number of acres planted with soybeans, which can be sown later in the spring. Corn futures firmed as soggy fields around much of the Midwest and forecasts […] Read more

Klassen: Feeder market remains volatile
Compared to last week, western Canadian feeder cattle markets traded $3-$5 on either side of unchanged. Many auction barns were closed last week and the ones holding sales had smaller numbers. Quality packages of yearlings were on the higher end of the range while smaller groups of fleshier replacements were discounted. Alberta feedlots were focusing […] Read more

Prairies can expect unexpected from El Nino this summer
MarketsFarm — The U.S. National Weather Service Climate Prediction Center on Thursday reported a 65 per cent chance of El Nino prevailing throughout 2019’s growing season. “A weak El Nino is likely to continue through the Northern Hemisphere summer 2019 (65 per cent chance) and possibly fall (50-55 per cent chance),” the CPC’s report said. […] Read more

Saskatchewan offers up corn rainfall insurance plan
Saskatchewan’s crop insurance offerings for 2019 will include a new program allowing corn growers to insure against a substantial drop in moisture. The provincial and federal government on Feb. 26 rolled out Saskatchewan’s 2019 crop insurance program, in which coverage levels on average are to reach a record $230 per acre, up from $216 last […] Read more

Abrupt mid-March shift into spring predicted
Winter conditions are expected to remain the norm across the Canadian Prairies through the middle of March, when a sudden pattern change brings an abrupt start to spring, according to the latest seasonal forecast from The Weather Network. The quick move from cold to warm conditions raises the risk of flooding in areas with a […] Read more

Southern Alberta suffering from lack of precipitation this winter
While much of the province has seen average snowfall, the south has been below or well-below average
Reading Time: < 1 minute It’s a mixed bag when it comes to the soil moisture situation in the province. Most of the area north of Calgary has “experienced at least near-normal precipitation accumulations,” said Ralph Wright, manager of the agro-meteorological applications and modelling section with Alberta Agriculture and Forestry. “In contrast, throughout much of southern Alberta, accumulations have been […] Read more

El Nino likely not responsible for warm, dry conditions
CNS Canada — The above-normal temperatures Western Canada has generally experienced since the fall weren’t necessarily caused by an El Nino. Rather, to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, the phenomenon that’s likely affected the weather was a ‘blob’ that formed off of the coast of British Columbia. “It’s a big warm pocket of ocean water and […] Read more

Prairie harvest window possible next week
CNS Canada — Cold and wet conditions on the Prairies are expected to clear up over the next week, allowing a window of opportunity for harvest, though the size of that window remains to be seen. “Western and northern parts of Alberta have some serious issues,” said Drew Lerner of World Weather Inc. in Kansas […] Read more

Feed weekly outlook: Producers watching skies for signals
CNS Canada — Farmers and traders are keeping a watchful eye on the weather trying to sort out feed grain supplies. “This time of year, it’s a weather market and weather has been improving in much of Saskatchewan and in some of the more critically dry areas. They got a decent amount of moisture over […] Read more