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

Organic groups call for Ontario regulations

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

U.S. grains: Corn, soy rise on bargain buying, temperature outlook
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn and soybean futures jumped more than one per cent on Friday on bargain buying after steep losses during the past two sessions, traders and analysts said. Midday weather forecasts also predicted hot temperatures next week in the U.S. Midwest, potentially stressing developing crops and further buoying corn and soy […] Read more

U.S. grains: Wheat, corn, soy tumble on better weather, technicals
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. grain and soy futures plummeted on Thursday, with wheat easing as much as five per cent in a technical selloff amid outlooks for slightly cooler temperatures and chances for rain next week in Midwestern growing regions, traders and analysts said. Wheat, corn and soybeans extended steep losses from Wednesday that […] Read more

U.S. grains: Corn falls four per cent after USDA data
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn futures fell four per cent on Wednesday after the U.S. Department of Agriculture raised its U.S. old- and new-crop corn ending stocks forecasts more than most analysts expected. Wheat and soybeans followed corn lower, with rains in Iowa and Illinois this week adding pressure. Chicago Board of Trade September […] Read more

Hogs seen as key factor in input cost hikes
CNS Canada — Canada’s Farm Input Price Index has climbed slightly for the first quarter of this year. Canada-wide, the index rose 1.3 per cent for the first quarter of this year compared to the final quarter of 2016. When comparing this year’s first quarter to last year’s first quarter, however, input prices in the […] Read more

U.S. grains: Soybeans set four-month top
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures hit a four-month high Tuesday on worries about stressful crop weather in the Midwest and as traders squared positions one day ahead of monthly reports from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Corn futures ended fractionally lower on profit-taking after a one-year high, while wheat ended higher after a […] Read more

U.S. grains: Corn, soy, wheat rise as crop belt heats up
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn and wheat futures rose more than two per cent on Monday, with corn setting a one-year high on worries about forecasts for potentially stressful heat in parts of the Midwest. Chicago Board of Trade wheat futures climbed nearly three per cent, led by outlooks for more hot and dry […] Read more

U.S. grains: Soybeans, corn firm on weather view
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Board of Trade soybean futures rallied 1.4 per cent on Friday on hotter and drier forecasts for important growing areas of the U.S. Midwest, traders said. Concerns about the forecast also supported corn futures but the market closed off session highs as profit-taking weighed on prices after their run-up to […] Read more

Prairie wheat, barley commissions’ single checkoffs set
The post-deregulation era of Prairie grain research and market development funding is cleared to begin, as the three Prairie provinces’ wheat and barley commissions have set new single checkoffs on Prairie wheat and barley, all starting Aug. 1. The Manitoba Wheat and Barley Growers Association (MWBGA) on Wednesday announced that when the Western Canadian Deduction […] Read more