(Dave Bedard photo)

Flax production to drop with fewer acres, dry conditions

'Prices are definitely going to be climbing'

MarketsFarm — As with other crops on the Canadian Prairies, flax has been struggling with the hot and dry conditions across the region. That said, Scott Shiels of Grain Millers Canada at Yorkton, Sask. noted there’s very little doubt when it comes to flax prices increasing during the course of 2023. Presently, old-crop flax was […] Read more

Barley south of Ethelton, Sask. in early August 2017. (File photo by Dave Bedard)

Feed weekly outlook: Dryness helps push up grain prices

Market seen shifting between 'no need' and 'giant need'

MarketsFarm — As dry conditions continued to take root across much of the Canadian Prairies, feed grain prices have for the most part been climbing, according to Susanne Leclerc of Market Master Ltd. in Edmonton. “The futures are coming up on quite a few commodities, so the prices have been coming up slightly,” Leclerc said […] Read more


(Geralyn Wichers photo)

Weather outlook not great for Prairie crops

U.S. northern Plains in a similar boat

MarketsFarm — Just when crops across the Canadian Prairies need rain, the outlook to the end of July according to Drew Lerner of World Weather Inc. pointed to conditions getting hotter and drier. “It does not look really good at the moment. We are going to see below normal rainfall and warmer than normal temperatures […] Read more

Aerial view of Centerm, a Burrard Inlet terminal for containerized cargo at the Port of Vancouver. (Bloodua/iStock/Getty Images)

Pulse weekly outlook: B.C. port strike drags on exports

Cargoes either stuck at port or held at home

MarketsFarm — As the 11-day-old port workers strike in British Columbia continued to impede exports from Canada’s West Coast, Marcos Mosnaim of Export Packers said the work stoppage was taking a toll on the country’s pulse exports — specifically those exported by container. “So you have cargo held in Vancouver or on its way to […] Read more

ICE November 2023 canola with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

ICE weekly outlook: Canola makes huge move

Prairies' dry patches add to upswing

MarketsFarm — Canola came out of Canada Day continuing to build on gains made going into the holiday, largely due to spillover from the Chicago soy complex. The U.S. Department of Agriculture last Friday released its planted acres report, which saw soybeans lose four million acres from the 87.5 million planted in 2022, leading to […] Read more


Corn in progress just east of Blumenort, Man. on July 20, 2022. (Dave Bedard photo)

CBOT weekly outlook: Corn could surprise in USDA’s acres report

Eyes on dry conditions in the Dakotas

MarketsFarm — Although grains analyst Terry Reilly of Futures International said he isn’t expecting any big changes in two upcoming reports from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, he suggested there’s an opportunity for couple of notable alterations. USDA is scheduled to release its planted acreage and quarterly grain stocks reports on Friday at 11 a.m. […] Read more

(Thinkstock photo)

Prairie cash wheat: Spring wheat vaults higher, durum nudges up

U.S. wheat futures, Canadian dollar up on week

MarketsFarm — Spring wheat prices on the Canadian Prairies experienced sharp upticks while gains for durum were much more subdued. A drop in U.S. wheat ratings fueled the upswing in wheat prices, as dry conditions took further hold with approximately 15 per cent of U.S. spring wheat now in drought. While that’s up four points […] Read more

(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Feed weekly outlook: Rains lift interest, prices

Dry conditions in U.S. Corn Belt supportive

MarketsFarm — When Alberta was dry, feed prices drew little interest according to Susanne Leclerc of Market Master Ltd. in Edmonton. But that changed after some timely rains, with prices on the rise. “There’s more demand than we have seen in a while,” Leclerc said. “When crops were looking crappy and people were worried about […] Read more



ICE July 2023 canola with 20- and 50-day moving averages. (Barchart)

ICE weekly outlook: Canola will follow soyoil up or down

Prairie weather another guiding factor

MarketsFarm — Although canola prices have been somewhat erratic over the last weeks, they along with other oilseeds have generally rebounded, according to trader Ken Ball of PI Financial in Winnipeg. Ball commented there has been a good amount of short-covering in soyoil at the Chicago Board of Trade, as markets positioned themselves for an […] Read more