Canola seed, oil and meal. (Photo courtesy Canola Council of Canada)

February’s oilseed crush lower than January’s

Canola, soybean crush down on month, StatsCan reports

MarketsFarm — As has often been the case, February 2020’s oilseed crush was lower than January’s, according to Statistics Canada’s latest report released Thursday. More than 812,600 tonnes of canola were crushed in February, down 4.9 per cent from January. Also, there were 144,260 tonnes of soybeans crushed in February, for a drop of 10.7 […] Read more

(Dave Bedard photo)

Pandemic to delay StatsCan’s agriculture reports

MarketsFarm — Farmers, commodity traders and market analysts will have to wait a while for agriculture-related reports from Statistics Canada in 2020. The main reason for the delay is the COVID-19 pandemic, said John Seay, an analyst with StatsCan’s agriculture, energy, environment and transportation statistics branch in Ottawa. “Given the COVID-19 outbreak, senior management is […] Read more


Green lentils. (Savany/iStock/Getty Images)

Pulse weekly outlook: Prices mostly steady ahead of seeding

MarketsFarm — As farmers decide what to plant in 2020, Dale McManus of Johnston’s Grain at Welwyn, Sask. hasn’t seen any significant deviation from what producers normally buy for pulse seed. “Red lentils, green lentils, green and yellow peas,” McManus cited among the pulses being purchased. Also, he noted, prices have remained quite steady in […] Read more

A canola field blooms in Manitoba’s Interlake on July 11, 2019.  (Greg Berg photo)

Canola production paths diverge for Canada, Australia

Issues seen in Canadian crop quality, logistics

MarketsFarm — Canola production is on different paths in Canada and Australia, according to the respective attachés from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). For the world’s top two canola exporters, the attachés forecast production in Canada to remain steady and project strong gains for Australia. USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) published the reports Monday, […] Read more

(Country Guide file photo)

Prairie cash wheat: Prices a mixed bag

U.S. futures, loonie down on week

MarketsFarm — Wheat bids in Western Canada saw gains and losses for the week ended Thursday, due to declines in U.S. markets and a lower Canadian dollar. Canada Western Red Spring (CWRS) wheat was mixed with some losses, but prices steady to higher in six of the Prairie regions. Canada Prairie Spring Red (CPSR) was […] Read more


(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Feed weekly outlook: Barley, wheat remain firm

Feed corn values follow U.S. ethanol lower

MarketsFarm — Prices for feed barley and wheat have firmed up across the Prairies amid the COVID-19 pandemic, said trader Allen Pirness of Market Place Commodities in Lethbridge. However, he also noted corn prices have fallen due to the steep decline in the U.S. ethanol industry. The Saudi Arabia/Russia crude oil price war put enormous […] Read more

Detail from the front of the CBOT building in Chicago. (Vito Palmisano/iStock/Getty Images)

CBOT weekly outlook: Pandemic drives Chicago prices lower

MarketsFarm — The COVID-19 pandemic has continued to pressure U.S. markets, including the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT), according to Scott Capinegro, president of Barrington Commodities at Barrington, Ill. “It’s like that movie Groundhog Day. You wake up and it’s the same thing every day,” Capinegro said. There’s a domino effect in the grain industry […] Read more

(USDA.gov via Flickr)

U.S. projects wheat acres at record lows, increases for soy, corn

Grain stocks as of March 1 down on year

MarketsFarm — As with last year, total wheat acres in the United States are projected to remain at all-time lows, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The department issued its prospective plantings estimates Tuesday. MarketsFarm director of markets and weather Bruce Burnett called USDA’s wheat and soybean estimates positive, while he said its […] Read more


Bulk wheat being loaded on a ship in a Russian port. (YGrek/iStock/Getty Images)

Global grain production to increase, IGC predicts

MarketsFarm — The International Grains Council (IGC) issued projections Thursday calling for a slight increase in total global grain production for the current marketing year and for 2020-21. The U.K.-based council forecast world production at 2.175 billion tonnes, which would be an increase of three million tonnes from its February report. The IGC said that’s […] Read more

(File photo by Dave Bedard)

ICE weekly outlook: Canola, soy crush margins up sharply

MarketsFarm — As canola and other ag commodities made strong gains over the last week, there was something a little strange about them, according to Winnipeg-based trader Bill Craddock. Crush margins, he said, follow prices for edible oils and meal, as well as the Canadian dollar. It’s all part of the formula used to calculate […] Read more