Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn and soybean futures fell on Friday, pressured by outlooks for some relief for crops stressed by hot and dry weather during the past few weeks, traders said. “It is a little bit of a moderation in the weather forecast,” said Bill Gentry, a broker at Risk Management Commodities. “The […] Read more

U.S. grains: Improving forecast weighs on corn, soybeans

Canada, Mexico urge quick NAFTA talks to end uncertainty
Washington/Ottawa | Reuters — Top Canadian and Mexican diplomats expressed optimism on Thursday that a NAFTA deal could be reached early next year and cautioned that widespread uncertainty over the future of the three-way trade agreement had slowed business investment. Mexican sources say the plan is to hold seven rounds of talks at three-week intervals, […] Read more

U.S. grains: Corn, soy rise for third straight day
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn and soybean futures rallied on Thursday to their highest respective levels in more than a week, supported by forecasts for hot weather that will stress crops in key growing regions, traders said. Both commodities notched their third straight day of gains. Corn led the sector, rising 2.1 per cent, […] Read more

AIM for Hart, Day 2: The road to success, one scoop at a time
I announced yesterday to a couple colleagues who work for the Western Producer, “We are wasting our time and energies writing stories. What idiots. If we want real financial success in life — sell ice cream.” That was my take home message from Day 2 (Wednesday) at the Ag In Motion (AIM) farm show near […] Read more

U.S. grains: Corn, soy extend gains on outlook for dry weather
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Board of Trade corn and soybean futures rose about one per cent on Wednesday, extending gains from the previous session on outlooks for mostly dry weather that likely will stress U.S. crops, traders and analysts said. Corn and soy prices came off their session highs at midday as investors adjusted […] Read more

AIM for Hart: An informative first day
It’s official. If you want your province to dry out call Charles Schmidt. This climatological fact was among the many things I learned at the first day of the 2017 Ag In Motion (AIM) farm show near Langham, Sask. Tuesday (about 20 minutes from Saskatoon — the show is still running Wednesday and Thursday, so […] Read more

U.S. grains: Corn, soy futures gain on weather worries
Chicago | Reuters –– Chicago Board of Trade corn futures were higher on Tuesday, lifted by concerns that hot and dry weather could reduce yields for the U.S. harvest in the wake of government data showing deteriorating crop condition ratings, traders said. Corn finished about 10 cents per bushel below its earlier peaks and prices […] Read more

U.S. makes lower trade deficit priority in NAFTA talks
Washington | Reuters — The United States on Monday launched the first salvo in the renegotiation of the 23-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), saying its top priority for the talks was shrinking the U.S. trade deficit with Canada and Mexico. In a much-anticipated document sent to lawmakers, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said […] Read more

Organic groups call for Ontario regulations
A look at organic regulation across the country by the Canadian Organic Trade Association (COTA) shows a hodge-podge of support, despite national standards in existence for eight years. In a report released Monday, COTA called out Ontario, the largest market by far for organic products, for having no organic regulations. Five other provinces, including some […] Read more

U.S. grains: Wheat hits two-week low on spreading
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Board of Board of Trade wheat futures fell to a roughly two-week low on Monday while MGEX spring wheat gained one per cent in wheat spreading as dry conditions stressed the spring wheat crop in the northern U.S. Plains, traders said. Investors were selling most-active CBOT wheat and buying MGEX […] Read more