London | Reuters — The war in Ukraine is already resulting in rising food prices and a shortage of staple crops in parts of central Asia, the Middle East and north Africa, the United Nations International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) said on Thursday. The Russian invasion of Ukraine last month has severely curtailed shipments […] Read more
Ukraine war already impacting food security, U.N. agency warns
U.S. grains: Wheat recoups from early weakness
Corn gains on export demand, soybeans firm
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat futures rose on Thursday, with benchmark Chicago Board of Trade wheat shaking off early weakness, as traders continued to wrestle with supply disruptions from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Markets are closely watching the talks to end the war in Ukraine, which Russia calls “a special military operation,” but the […] Read more
CBOT weekly outlook: Corn, wheat undergo major corrections
MarketsFarm — Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has done little to stabilize corn and wheat markets on the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) for the week ended Wednesday. After high price spikes during the previous week, peace talks between the two nations and very few signs pointing toward escalation or resolution have brought on a recent […] Read more
U.S. grains: Wheat up on Russian export suspension, U.S. drought
Corn futures firm, soy down
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Board of Trade wheat futures gained on Tuesday, supported as export curbs by Russia fuelled concerns about global supply, while traders see the recent decline as an opportunity for bargain buying. Soybeans fell in reaction to investor worries that renewed coronavirus outbreaks in China could curb demand, while corn traded […] Read more
Ukraine to start spring seeding in coming days, officials say
Lviv | Reuters — Ukraine plans to start sowing spring grains in the coming days and has enough grain in stocks to ensure the population has enough bread, deputy agriculture minister Taras Vysotskiy said Saturday. He said the country, which consumes eight million tonnes of wheat a year, had six million tonnes in stocks. Stocks […] Read more
Traders consider exporting Ukraine grain by rail
Lviv | Reuters — Traders are trying to arrange the export of Ukrainian-origin grain by train through western Ukraine’s borders, but the export capacities are very limited, APK-Inform agriculture consultancy said Friday. Ukraine’s state-run railway operator said this week it was ready to organize agricultural exports by rail as a matter of urgency after closure […] Read more
USDA opens inquiry into fertilizer, seed prices
Reuters — The U.S. Department of Agriculture is opening an inquiry into the impacts of concentration in the fertilizer, seed and retail markets. The inquiry stems from the Biden administration’s July 2021 executive order to promote competition across the U.S. economy, the agency said in a release Friday. Global supply chain problems and inflation have […] Read more
G7 ag ministers urge end to food export curbs as prices surge
Nations warn against 'speculative behaviour'
Hamburg | Reuters — Global food exporting countries should not restrict food exports after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine cut world supplies, agriculture ministers of the G7 group of nations said on Friday. The impact on markets escalated this week as a growing list of food producing countries restricted exports, keeping vital supplies within their borders. […] Read more
U.S. grains: CBOT wheat plummets 9.5 per cent
Corn, soybeans rise on strong exports
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat futures fell on Thursday, with the most-active Chicago Board of Trade soft red winter wheat contract plunging 9.5 per cent as traders said the rally sparked by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine had made the grain too expensive for potential buyers. “The market is pausing to catch its breath a […] Read more
Bread and war: Farmers in the fight for Ukraine
Agriculture, being the most important industry in Ukraine, will play a large part in the war, a Ukrainian ag journalist writes
It is very difficult to explain what a person feels when they’re awakened at 5 a.m., when a rocket explodes near their house. That’s exactly what I experienced Feb. 24. The first thing I did was fill my car with gasoline. Then we bought a lot of products we thought we might need — medicines […] Read more