Moscow/Hamburg | Reuters — Russia’s agriculture ministry will set up a new grain exporters’ union to better understand the needs of the market, it said on Monday after its routine meeting with local grain traders. Traders interpreted it as a result of the close attention with which Russian officials have been monitoring how big exporters […] Read more

Russia’s ag ministry to set up new grain exporters’ union

U.S. grains: Soybeans lower on South America weather, trade jitters
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures fell about one per cent on Monday on improving crop weather in South America and worries about a looming March 1 deadline for a U.S.-China trade agreement, analysts said. Corn futures followed soybeans lower while wheat futures were mixed, with Chicago Board of Trade contracts edging higher. CBOT […] Read more

CP mainline through Rockies reopened after crash
Canadian Pacific Railway’s mainline through the Rocky Mountains has reopened to traffic following a grain train derailment that killed three railroaders Monday. Calgary-based CP announced late Friday its mainline through Field, B.C. was reopened at midday Wednesday “in close collaboration with Transport Canada, and upon completion of all necessary safety checks.” Meanwhile, CP said Friday, […] Read more

U.S. grains: Soy firm after USDA data, focus turns to China talks
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures ended firm on Friday as late-session short-covering lifted prices from lows notched after the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) projected record large U.S. soy stocks amid a still-unresolved trade dispute with top importer China. Corn eased after USDA released a flood of data Friday, some of it delayed […] Read more

Feed weekly outlook: Little to change for Prairie prices
As feedlots reduce their cattle numbers, demand for feed grains has declined on the Canadian Prairies, according to Market Place Commodities trader Allen Pirness at Lethbridge. “It’s a pretty calm time of year. The feedlots are shipping a lot of fat cattle more than they are replacing. Their grain consumption drops off a little bit […] Read more

U.S. grains: Soybeans drop on renewed China trade concerns
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures fell for the first time in five sessions on Thursday on new concerns that the U.S.-China trade war may stretch beyond a March 1 deal deadline, with the two countries’ leaders unlikely to meet during upcoming talks. News that U.S. President Donald Trump and China’s Xi Jinping are […] Read more

U.S. grains: Soy edges higher after China sales
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures edged higher on Wednesday as the government confirmed more soy purchases by China, but the market remained largely static as traders waited for a raft of U.S. crop data due on Friday, some of it delayed by the government shutdown. Corn futures eased for the first time in […] Read more

StatsCan canola stocks numbers point to big carryout
As two analysts looked at Statistics Canada’s latest report on total stocks of principal field crops, they immediately zeroed in on canola. Statistics Canada’s report, released Tuesday, shows canola stocks as of Dec. 31, 2018 were at 14.553 million tonnes, up 4.9 per cent from year-earlier levels, “The numbers are sort of in line with […] Read more

CP grain train ‘began to move on its own’ before fatal derailment
Winnipeg | Reuters — A Canadian Pacific Railway train was parked for a change of crew when it unexpectedly rolled down a steep embankment and derailed in British Columbia’s Rocky Mountains on Monday, killing three crew members, a transport regulator said. The train, hauling 112 cars of grain, was parked for two hours at the […] Read more

Loan program gets extension, funding boost
Changes made to the Commodity Loan Program to help deal with DON-infected corn financial challenges
Changes to the Commodity Loan Program (CLP) have been made to help farmers dealing with extreme harvest issues across the province. Grain Farmers of Ontario (GFO) asked for an extension back in November to assist farmers across the province managing challenges with corn crop quality this year. Why it matters: The CLP changes will help […] Read more