CBOT March 2023 soft red winter wheat with 20-day moving average, MGEX March 2023 hard red spring wheat (yellow line) and K.C. March 2023 hard red winter wheat (orange line). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Wheat futures firm; technical resistance weighs

Chicago soybeans up, corn down

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago wheat futures gained on Tuesday as traders eye winter wheat conditions across the U.S. Plains amid a second frigid cold snap this season, though futures struggled against technical resistance. Soybeans futures ended up, though prices were pressured by a correction in the soymeal charts, traders said. Corn futures ended lower, […] Read more

File photo of the facade of the U.S. Department of Agriculture building in Washington, D.C. (Camrocker/iStock/Getty Images)

CBOT weekly outlook: USDA ‘data dump’ due next week

'Minor changes' expected for corn, soy

MarketsFarm — A flurry of reports is coming from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on Jan. 12, including its monthly supply and demand estimates, quarterly grains stocks report and winter wheat planting report, among others. Futures International analyst Terry Reilly said the multitude of the reports coming out that Thursday will essentially be a […] Read more


A wheat field near the village of Zhovtneve, Ukraine in 2016.  Photo: Reuters/Valentyn Ogirenko/File

Ukraine keeps 2023 winter wheat sowing area forecast unchanged despite delays

Kyiv | Reuters – Ukraine is keeping its forecast of the winter wheat sowing area for the 2023 harvest unchanged at 3.8 million hectares despite a delay caused by unfavourable weather, deputy agriculture minister Taras Vysotskiy told Reuters on Tuesday. Ukraine sowed more than 6 million hectares of winter wheat for the 2022 harvest, but […] Read more

Gary Millershaski, a farmer and scout on the Wheat Quality Council’s Kansas wheat tour, inspects winter wheat stunted by drought near Syracuse, about 170 km west of Dodge City, on May 18, 2022. (File photo: Reuters/Julie Ingwersen)

U.S. winter wheat growers seed into dust as Plains drought persists

Chicago | Reuters — With seeding roughly halfway complete, the 2023 U.S. hard red winter wheat crop is already being hobbled by drought in the heart of the southern Plains, wheat experts said. Seeding plans may be scaled back in the U.S. breadbasket despite historically high prices for this time of year, reflecting rising global […] Read more


CBOT December 2022 soft red winter wheat (candlesticks) with MGEX December 2022 hard red spring wheat (green open/high/low/close) and K.C. December 2022 hard red winter wheat (orange O/H/L/C). (Barchart)

CBOT weekly outlook: Tightening stocks underpin U.S. wheat, corn

USDA's soybean data seen as bearish

MarketsFarm — Tighter-than-expected quarterly wheat and corn stocks in last Friday’s report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture provided the biggest influence on the futures markets over the past week, with larger soybean stocks putting some nearby pressure on that market. Corn stocks in the U.S., as of Sept. 1, came in at 1.377 billion […] Read more

In-ground moisture sensors coupled with advanced software and weather forecasts will substantially improve variable rate irrigation in the coming years, says Mark Johnson (right) of Ensemble Scientific (pictured with Lewis Baarda of Farming Smarter).

It’s worth trying winter-hardy crops, but success can be elusive

Reading Time: 2 minutes Profiting from winter-hardy crops can be challenging, but they’re worth planting in small test areas, says the head of research and development at Western Ag Innovations. “It’s something good to keep your eye on,” Eric Bremer said at the recent Farming Smarter field school in Lethbridge. “It’s still difficult to guarantee a good result. Winter […] Read more


The USDA building in Washington, D.C. (Art Wager/iStock/Getty Images)

Larger spring wheat crop expected in U.S.

USDA expects reduced total worldwide wheat crop

MarketsFarm — Early indications point to a much larger spring wheat crop in the United States in 2022 compared to the drought-stricken 2021 crop despite the late seeding, according to the latest production estimates from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In USDA’s first official production estimates of the growing season breaking out the different wheat […] Read more

CBOT July 2022 soft red wheat (candlesticks) with 50-day moving average (black line), MGEX July 2022 spring wheat (yellow line) and K.C. July 2022 hard red wheat (orange line). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Wheat eases on harvest pressure

Nearby corn firms, July soybeans also lower

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat futures ended lower on Wednesday, led by K.C. hard red winter wheat, as the harvest progressed and forecasts signalled continued dry weather for combines rolling in the southern Plains, traders said. Corn futures closed mixed, with strong domestic cash markets supporting nearby July futures on the Chicago Board of […] Read more


Corn seedlings in southern Ontario in 2021. (Farmtario photo by John Greig)

Spring planting well underway in Ontario

MarketsFarm — Farmers are well into seeding their crops for 2022, according to Wednesday’s crop report from Ontario’s Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA). The report noted planting of corn, soybeans and spring cereals started late last week — the exception being where there are heavier soils. OMAFRA projected planting could be 80 […] Read more