Canada’s grain companies are committed to keeping grain moving to domestic and export customers, but how the spread of COVID-19 might affect business is still an unknown, says Wade Sobkowich, executive director of the Western Grain Elevator Association. “We are are going to do everything in our power to keep grain moving at this time,” […] Read more
Handlers focus on keeping grain moving despite COVID-19
Grain companies, Canadian Grain Commission working but unsure of future
Fraser: What will be the long-term impact of COVID-19?
Analysis: A pandemic runs the risk of driving nations further apart
As developments around the COVID-19 coronavirus change rapidly, I can’t help but speculate on the longer-term effects of it. By now, much has been made of the economic impact it — alongside the Saudi Arabia-Russia oil trade war — will have on global economies. While it’s guesswork to estimate the total impact without knowing how […] Read more
India offers U.S. dairy, chicken access in bid for elusive trade deal
New Delhi/Washington | Reuters — India has offered to partially open up its poultry and dairy markets in a bid for a limited trade deal during U.S. President Donald Trump’s first official visit to the country this month, people familiar with the protracted talks say. India, the world’s largest milk-producing nation, has traditionally restricted dairy […] Read more
U.S. grains: Soy declines, corn firms as China deal’s terms awaited
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures declined on Monday on favourable crop weather in South America and position-squaring as traders waited to see if a U.S.-Chinese trade agreement due to be signed this week will herald a significant increase in demand for U.S. crops. Wheat futures also fell, down from multi-month highs set last […] Read more
U.S. grains: Corn, soy shrug off benign USDA data
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn and soybeans were steady to higher on Friday as investors looked past revised U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) supply-and-demand projections and focused on improved prospects for exports to China, which is due to sign an interim trade deal with the United States next week. The USDA data, released during […] Read more
Ocean freight rates trending lower
MarketsFarm — The Baltic Dry Index has fallen sharply over the past four months, dropping below 1,000 points to start the New Year. A slowdown in iron-ore activity, as high prices have had Chinese mills buying up domestic inventories rather than importing from overseas, accounted for much of the general weakness in the freight sector, […] Read more
U.S. grains: Soybeans bounce on China trade hopes
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures recovered slightly on Monday from steep declines in the previous session as hopes for improved exports to China outweighed worries about rising tensions in the Middle East. Corn and wheat futures declined on technical selling and profit-taking from last week’s multi-month highs and as investors look ahead to […] Read more
ICE weekly outlook: Canola could break out of range
MarketsFarm — With canola now near the top end of its range, prices could break out of being rangebound in the next several days, according to an analyst. Canola has made gains over the last month or so, largely due to spillover from increasing prices for soyoil on the Chicago Board of Trade. Soyoil has […] Read more
U.S. grains: Futures notch yearly rises on China demand hopes
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat, corn and soybean futures posted annual gains in 2019 after an initial U.S.-China trade deal that could boost agricultural exports helped prices rally toward the end of the year. The crop futures finished little changed on Tuesday as markets wound down during the last session of the year and […] Read more
Fictional nation Wakanda removed from USDA trade list
Reuters — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) said it removed the fictional country of Wakanda from an online list of nations that have free trade agreements with the United States on Thursday. The Kingdom of Wakanda is the home of Black Panther, the Marvel superhero, and is portrayed in comic books and the 2018 […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
