Latest Newsletter

U.S. grains: Corn pulls back from five-year high
Crops, Markets

U.S. grains: Corn pulls back from five-year high

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Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Board of Trade grain futures settled down on Monday after corn touched a five-year high and soybeans reached a one-year peak, as forecasts for rain in U.S. crop-growing areas eased concerns about hot, dry weather. A recent warm, dry spell had fueled worries that corn could be damaged during crucial […] Read more
A three-year-old holds a protest sign ahead of a Dec. 2, 2015 meeting at Okotoks, Alta. between farmers and ranchers and Alberta’s then-ministers of labour and agriculture. (Photo: Reuters/Mike Sturk)
Machinery

Consultations begin online for replacing Alberta’s Bill 6

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A new online survey and direct consultations this summer are expected to inform the new Alberta government’s plans to swap out its predecessor’s legislation on farm and ranch worker protection. Alberta’s governing United Conservatives — who made repeal and replacement of Bill 6 a core plank of their platform before unseating the NDP government back […] Read more
CBOT December 2019 corn with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)
Crops, Markets

U.S. grains: Corn tops three-week high on heat wave

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Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn futures exceeded a three-week high on Friday and soybeans advanced as forecasts for a heat wave fuelled concerns about potential damage to crops growing in farmers’ fields. Traders focused on worries about hot, dry conditions after heavy rains and flooding caused unprecedented delays in corn planting this spring. The […] Read more
A new program aimed at wheat is showing less lodging, ease of harvest, improved quality and better overall yield benefits.
Crops

Finding ways to increase payback on wheat

Variable rate nitrogen application shows economic and environmental benefit

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Better use of nitrogen in wheat through variable rate application is showing benefits across the province. Less lodging, higher economic return and positive environmental impacts are catching the eyes of crop farmers across Ontario wanting to get better return on what is sometimes called “poverty grass”. Why it matters: Some growers who have invested in […] Read more
Soil nitrate results from various sample timings.
Crops

Soil nitrate tests low in wet, cool year

OMAFRA’s screening shows that soil nitrate levels are about 25 per cent lower than average

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Pre side-dress nitrogen tests across Ontario have lower-than-average nitrate levels this season. Why it matters: This year’s results show that nitrate level recommendations for side-dressing and top-dressing may vary for corn growers across the province, depending on when they were able to get their crop planted. The OMAFRA field crop team completed samples from 66 […] Read more
CBOT September 2019 wheat with Bollinger (20,2) bands, a gauge of market volatility. (Barchart)
Crops, Markets

U.S. grains: Wheat hits one-week top after USDA report

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Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat futures climbed to their highest in more than a week after the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) lowered its forecast of global wheat production in a monthly supply and demand report on Thursday. Corn and soybeans followed the firm trend in wheat. Chicago Board of Trade September wheat settled […] Read more
(CNS Canada file photo by Jade Markus)
Crops, Machinery

Churchill shipping resumes but grain still on back burner

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MarketsFarm — The first cargo ship in two years left the northern Manitoba port of Churchill on Wednesday, moving supplies to communities in Nunavut. Rehabilitation efforts at North America’s only deep-water Arctic port are still underway, but there are expectations business through the facility will eventually include grain as well. OmniTrax, the previous owner of […] Read more
(File photo by Dave Bedard)
Markets

Cargill quarterly profit drops on trade tensions, U.S. floods

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Chicago | Reuters — Global commodities trader Cargill reported a 41 per cent drop in adjusted quarterly profit on Thursday, citing supply disruptions stemming from the U.S.-China trade war and also flooding in the central United States that hit marketing and transportation of grains and livestock. Cargill, the largest privately held U.S. company, said adjusted […] Read more

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