Chicago | Reuters — Chicago corn futures rose for a second straight day on Tuesday after the U.S. Department of Agriculture said the condition of U.S. crops deteriorated last week following rain, although gains were pared late in the session on improving weather. Soybeans turned lower on forecasts for a window of warmer and drier […] Read more
U.S. grains: Corn up as crop ratings ease
U.S. CFTC awards nearly US$2.5 million to Cargill whistleblower
Chicago | Reuters — The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission has awarded about US$2.5 million to a whistleblower in a 2017 case against global grain trader Cargill over alleged violations in how it handled trades, the agency said Tuesday. The award, while significant in size, was reduced “because of the whistleblower’s delay in reporting” the […] Read more
Rain gives farmers relief, for now, from three-year drought
Winnipeg | Reuters — With drought turning Chad Ross’s pastures brown, the southeastern Saskatchewan rancher sent 140 head of cattle to slaughter earlier than usual this spring, as the Prairies’ three-year drought made them too expensive to feed. The ranch and feedlot near Estevan has lost money two straight years. Long-awaited rains that swept the […] Read more
Farm labour shortage seen costing billions, expected to rise
Ottawa | Reuters — Canada’s farm labour deficit is expected to double by 2029 to 123,000 workers, or one in three jobs, as shortages continue to hit the sector’s bottom line, the Canadian Agriculture Human Resource Council said on Tuesday. Farmers in Canada have long reported challenges in recruiting farm workers because the rural-based work […] Read more
Ardent Mills sells Ontario bakery ingredient plant
Flour miller Ardent Mills plans to push off further from the sweet baking ingredient business, with a deal to sell its southern Ontario ingredient mix plant. Denver-based Ardent said Monday it closed a deal the previous Friday to sell its Burlington, Ont. plant to U.S. bakery ingredient processor Dawn Foods. The deal’s financial terms weren’t […] Read more
Flexibility available for farmers on FCC loan payments
Farm Credit Canada says it remains willing to work around the various forces majeures standing between its farmer clients and their cash flows this year. The Crown lending agency reiterated Monday it will work with customers “to come up with solutions for their operations on a case-by-case basis” in view of this spring’s weather worries […] Read more
Less canola, more barley area expected in next StatsCan report
MarketsFarm — Canadian farmers will likely grow less canola and more barley in 2019, though the jury is out on exact acreage numbers ahead of Statistics Canada’s seeded area estimates due out Wednesday. Barley prices have hit “historic highs” thanks to inclement corn-growing weather in the United States, which has buoyed most feed grain prices. […] Read more
U.S. grains: Wheat rises on global weather worries
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat futures climbed nearly two per cent on Monday due to weather-damaged crops in key production areas around the world, while corn and soybeans firmed as wet U.S. Midwest conditions stoked concerns about reduced harvests. Some optimism that U.S.-China trade talks may get back on track also underpinned markets. The […] Read more
U.S. grains: Soy, corn ease as traders expect improving weather
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn and soybean futures slumped on Friday on expectations that crops may benefit next week from a break in the rains that stalled plantings across the American Midwest this spring. Widespread storms caused unprecedented delays in corn plantings and prevented farmers from planting crops across millions of acres. The weather […] Read more
Western Bean Cutworm trapping network expands
Western Bean Cutworm Trap Network includes more pests, larger geographic coverage and new name
The growing success of the Western Bean Cutworm Trap Network, and issues with other corn pests across Eastern Canada, led to the expansion and renaming of the network, now known as the Great Lakes and Maritimes Pest Monitoring Network. Why it matters: The trap network enables OMAFRA and participants to monitor peak flight timing of […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
