CNS Canada — The flat western Canadian feed grain market will continue for the forseeable future, but there could be slight changes around the holidays and into the New Year. “The market has been relatively flat for several weeks now and my guess is it will continue to be that way into the New Year. […] Read more

Feed weekly outlook: Prairie market flat as holidays near

U.S. grains: Soybeans dip as Huawei arrest clouds trade detente
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures fell for the first time in five sessions on Thursday as the arrest of a senior executive at China’s Huawei Technologies Co. stoked concerns about a U.S.-China trade truce that has yet to produce a resumption of U.S. soybean sales to China. Corn followed soybeans lower, although declines […] Read more

Saskatchewan farm truckers exempt on new training rule
Saskatchewan semi truck drivers driving only for farming operations will get a pass on the province’s planned new mandatory minimum trucker training requirements. The province announced Monday it will require a minimum of 121.5 hours of training before a driver can obtain a Class 1 commercial driver’s licence, starting March 15 next year. A Class […] Read more

Bunge names Syngenta CEO to board under deal with activist investors
Chicago | Reuters — Bunge Ltd. appointed the CEO of agrichemicals company Syngenta to its board on Wednesday as part of an agreement with activist investors D.E. Shaw and Continental Grain Co. The global grains trader named J. Erik Fyrwald as a director, as it navigates low crop prices and the trade war that has […] Read more

France delays food price rise for farmers after protests
Paris | Reuters — France, reeling from violent protests over the cost of living, said Wednesday it will delay a planned rise in minimum food prices, incurring the wrath of the main farmers group which urged street action next week. A powerful constituency in French politics, farmers have long complained of being hit by a […] Read more

U.S. grains: China sales hopes lift soy, wheat sinks on demand worry
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures inched higher for a fourth straight session on Wednesday in light trading as investors sought clues as to whether a truce between Washington and Beijing in their trade dispute would revive U.S. soybean sales to China. Corn, which could also benefit from renewed Chinese demand, ended little changed. […] Read more

Can it pay to stop farming unproductive land?
Taking underperforming areas of a field out of production can support farm profitability and conservation, say researchers
Can some farmers increase their profitability by not working underperforming parts of the field? Researchers at the University of Guelph think so. According to those researchers, combining conservation with crop production on a field-by-field level can better serve both the environment and producers’ bottom lines. Why it matters: Consistently underperforming areas of a farm hurt […] Read more

Trade, weather top of mind for 2019 acres
CNS Canada — As Canadian farmers start thinking about what to plant next spring, global trade patterns and weather will play into decision making. “It’s very difficult to decide where this all is going. That obviously also has implications on where the futures prices go and what signals the farmers are taking from that,” said […] Read more

U.S. grains: Soybeans edge upward, still await promised Chinese buying
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures edged higher on Tuesday on hopes that a U.S.-China trade war truce over the weekend would result in fresh Chinese demand for U.S. soybeans, although no deals have been confirmed. Corn also firmed slightly, following soybeans, while wheat ended mixed on light demand. At Saturday’s G-20 meeting in […] Read more

December StatsCan report could vary from years past
CNS Canada — After this fall’s long, drawn-out harvest, some analysts predict Statistics Canada’s final Production of Principal Field Crops numbers could vary from the usual pattern. StatsCan’s report, due out Thursday, is a “very uncertain” report “because that was probably one of the most bizarre falls we’ve ever had on the Prairies,” said Ken […] Read more