Reuters — Last year ranked as the sixth-warmest year on record, causing extreme weather events around the world and adding to evidence supporting the globe’s long-term warming, according to an analysis on Thursday by two U.S. government agencies. The data compiled by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and NASA also revealed that […] Read more

Last year was world’s sixth-warmest on record, U.S. scientists say
Heat content of oceans at record level, NOAA says

La Niña likely to continue into spring, U.S. forecaster says
Reuters — La Nina conditions are likely to continue during the Northern Hemisphere spring, a U.S. government weather forecaster said on Thursday. The La Niña weather pattern, characterized by unusually cold temperatures in the equatorial Pacific Ocean, has a 67 per cent chance of persisting from March through May this year, the National Weather Service’s […] Read more

La Niña introduces itself with Prairie cold snap
MarketsFarm — The frigid conditions which had enveloped the Prairie provinces in recent weeks is a sign La Niña has come again, according to a Kansas-based meteorologist. Since mid-December, the Prairies have been in a deep freeze beginning with temperatures at least 10 C below-normal. Since the holiday season, many towns and cities in the […] Read more

Fertilizer prices to remain high for now
MarketsFarm — There are two factors to consider when it comes to fertilizer. One is the cost as it’s to remain quite expensive at least through the first quarter of 2022, according to Chris Lawson, head of fertilizers for the CRU Group. The other is its availability, said Todd Lewis, president of the Agricultural Producers […] Read more

U.S. grains: Soybeans ease after weather rally
Corn firms, wheat slips to nearly three-month low
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago soybean futures dipped on Thursday as broad selling in financial markets countered weather concerns in South America that had pushed prices to a five-month high. Corn ended just above even, paring losses as private estimates of South American crops fell further due to hot, dry conditions in the region. Wheat […] Read more

CBOT weekly outlook: South American dryness main source of support
MarketsFarm — After corn and the soy complex on the Chicago Board of Trade shot up on Tuesday following the fats and oils as well as the crushing reports from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), one trader said he isn’t expecting any surprises to come out of USDA’s supply and demand estimates or grain […] Read more

Colder-than-normal Prairie winter forecast
MarketsFarm — Colder-than-normal temperatures are in the long-range forecast across Western Canada over the next three months, while much of Eastern Canada should be warmer. The latest seasonal forecast from Environment Canada, released Friday, calls for a 50 to 90 per cent chance of below-normal temperatures from January through March for the four western provinces. […] Read more

U.S. grains: Soybeans, corn supported by South America dryness
Wheat ratings decline in Kansas, Oklahoma, USDA says
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago soybean and corn futures climbed on Tuesday, underpinned by dry weather in parts of South America that could hurt yields in rival export markets, while wheat rose after a three-session decline. The most-active soybean contract on the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) closed 34-1/4 cents higher at $13.89-3/4 a bushel, […] Read more

CBOT weekly outlook: Corn up, but highs may not last
MarketsFarm — Corn, wheat and soybeans were all trading on a positive note at the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) just days before the winter holidays. According to Scott Capinegro, a broker for Barrington Commodity Brokers at Lake Barrington, Ill., a greater appetite for risk by investors and inclement weather have both supported the markets. […] Read more

U.S. EPA reviewing dicamba over crop damage claims
Chicago | Reuters –– The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is assessing whether dicamba herbicide can be sprayed safely on soybean and cotton plants genetically engineered to resist the chemical, without the procedure posing “unreasonable risks” to other crops, an agency official said Tuesday. Farmers and scientists for years have reported problems with dicamba drifting away […] Read more