CBOT May 2020 soybeans with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Soy up on export hopes, financial market gains

Wheat resumes downtrend after bounce Tuesday

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures rose for a third day on Wednesday, nearing a six-week high, on hopes for increased export demand and spillover support from gains in financial markets. Corn futures set a five-week high, while wheat futures slumped. Traders said U.S. soy exports may benefit from an increase in taxes on […] Read more

Wheat leaf rust. (James Kolmer photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

Digital supercluster backs precision fungicide development

Project aims at wheat leaf rust, reducing pesticide load

A West Coast ag tech company in the crop pest control business is setting its sights on wheat leaf rust, with support from one of Canada’s five research superclusters — but not the cluster you might expect. Out of the five federally-supported superclusters launched in early 2018, Protein Industries Canada has been most closely linked […] Read more

(Dave Bedard photo)

CN faces grain export backlog of 10,000 carloads, CEO says

Montreal | Reuters — Canadian National Railway (CN) lost capacity equivalent to 10,000 carloads, or one million tonnes of grain exports, in February due to rail blockades by protesters opposed to a pipeline project, CEO Jean-Jacques Ruest said Tuesday. Activists disrupted passenger and freight traffic last month to show solidarity with the Wet’suwet’en people, who […] Read more

CBOT May 2020 corn with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Soy, wheat, corn up on economic stimulus hopes

Recovery continues off COVID-19-related pressure

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. grain and soybean futures rose on Tuesday on technical buying and expectations for a co-ordinated global effort to offset the economic impact of the coronavirus outbreak. The U.S. Federal Reserve cut interest rates in an emergency move designed to shield the world’s largest economy from the COVID-19 virus, whose global […] Read more

Black-grass rising over and above a barley crop.

Using technology to pinpoint problem weeds

U.K. researchers create inexpensive, in-field herbicide resistance test tool

Britain’s island geography has been a major barrier for invading forces throughout history, but it’s not so effective at stopping the spread of invasive weeds. That’s why United Kingdom researchers have developed an inexpensive, convenient tool to help farmers identify resistant weeds, specifically black grass, as early as possible. Black-grass is to the U.K. what […] Read more


CBOT May 2020 soybeans with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Soybean futures touch five-week high

Corn rises as markets rebound

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures set a five-week high and corn futures advanced on Monday as markets rebounded from selling last week that was fueled by concerns over the fast-spreading coronavirus outbreak. Equity markets around the world rose on speculation that central banks will cut interest rates to soften the economic blow of […] Read more

Agco plans to have its IdealDrive joysticks in North American fields in 2021. (Photo courtesy Agco)

Fendt takes (out) the wheel on new combines

Agco says it's first of majors to offer joystick steering

Agco has officially declared itself to be the first major farm equipment player to put joystick steering in a combine. The ag equipment manufacturer unveiled IdealDrive on Thursday during the Commodity Classic in San Antonio, billing the new steering system for its Fendt Ideal combines as “the first joystick steering system on a combine from […] Read more

An idle CN train is parked next to an empty Via Rail commuter station at Trenton, Ont. on Feb. 25, 2020. (Photo: Reuters/Chris Helgren)

CN starts calling back laid-off employees

"Network recovery... will take several weeks"

Montreal | Reuters — Canadian National Railway has started calling back many of the 450 workers it laid off earlier this month in Eastern Canada, when blockades crippled operations on strategic rail lines, according to a company email sent to customers Friday. Earlier this week, police made 10 arrests and cleared a blockade in eastern […] Read more


CBOT May 2020 wheat with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Crop futures slide on coronavirus fears

Corn sets new contract lows, ends mixed; wheat at 3-1/2-month low

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn futures slumped to new contract lows on Friday and wheat fell to a 3-1/2-month low with a seventh daily drop in eight trading sessions as a spike in new coronavirus cases beyond China fueled fears of a pandemic. Soybeans also retreated, reversing course after three days of gains as […] Read more

Spring runoff flows through a control structure on the Assiniboine River near Portage la Prairie, Man. in 2014. (MarketsFarm photo by Glen Hallick)

Chances of flooding in Manitoba depend on weather

MarketsFarm — Manitoba has issued its spring thaw forecast of 2020 — with high water levels coming for the Red River. That’s due to significant soil moisture levels left over from the fall and above-normal snow levels in the river’s U.S. watershed. “Our focus is currently on the Red River, where we are expecting a […] Read more