The Chicago Board of Trade building on May 28, 2018. (Harmantasdc/iStock Editorial/Getty Images)

CBOT weekly outlook: Currency, swine fever weigh on prices

MarketsFarm — A strong U.S. dollar and China’s prolonged battle with African swine fever have turned Chicago Board of Trade markets largely bearish. “We’re seeing a slew of positive [economic] news out of the U.S., and a rallying dollar that has been strong for four out of five sessions,” said Terry Reilly, a grains analyst […] Read more

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Pulse weekly outlook: Fababean acres set to increase

MarketsFarm — Unpredictable weather overseas resulted in robust fababean prices during 2018’s harvest, and Canadian producers expect these prices to hold throughout the 2019 growing season. “For the growers that managed to get fababeans off their field, I think they were probably quite happy with the markets in 2018,” said Leanne Fischbuch, president of Alberta […] Read more


Barley. (Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Feed weekly outlook: Barley acreage buoyed despite current prices

MarketsFarm — International demand for Canadian feed barley has been strong thanks to a 2018 growing season drought in Australia that limited exportable supplies. China purchased nearly 950,000 tonnes of Canadian barley in the first seven months of the 2018-19 year, significantly above the five-year average. However, feed markets in general are quite sluggish ahead […] Read more

Sea surface temperature anomalies over the equatorial Pacific for the week centred on April 3, 2019. (CPC.ncep.noaa.gov)

Prairies can expect unexpected from El Nino this summer

MarketsFarm — The U.S. National Weather Service Climate Prediction Center on Thursday reported a 65 per cent chance of El Nino prevailing throughout 2019’s growing season. “A weak El Nino is likely to continue through the Northern Hemisphere summer 2019 (65 per cent chance) and possibly fall (50-55 per cent chance),” the CPC’s report said. […] Read more

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CBOT weekly outlook: Markets brace for weather, trade war

MarketsFarm — With the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s world agriculture supply and demand estimates (WASDE) report in the rearview mirror, the Chicago Board of Trade is trading largely on weather forecasts and flood reports. Markets did react, however, when the WASDE report dropped on Tuesday. “We did see some short covering in the market yesterday […] Read more




Emerging corn plants in Canada. (Sophie-Caron/iStock/Getty Images)

Feed weekly outlook: Corn acreage predicted to be flat

MarketsFarm — Experts predict corn acreage will be flat in Western Canada in 2019. While flooding remains a concern to many this spring, years of dry summers have impacted soil conditions to the point where a wet spring may be a welcome reprieve. “I’m more concerned about how much moisture we will have gained because […] Read more


File photo of a soybean crop south of Winnipeg. (Dougall_Photography/iStock/Getty Images)

Soybean acreage remains a question mark for 2019

MarketsFarm — Experts expect soybean acreage to decrease across Canada this year, though the jury is still out as to how much it will drop. In its principal crop acreage report published March 21, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada predicted that area planted to soybeans would decrease by three per cent across the country based on […] Read more

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Pulse weekly outlook: Attractive lentil prices may boost acres

MarketsFarm — As prices for both red and green lentils stay firm, experts have predicted lentil acreage across Canada to increase for the 2019 growing season. Carryover from past crops has been negligible in previous years, and what had been produced was quickly sold throughout the year. “This helps farmers’ confidence,” said Tanvir Zaidi, CEO […] Read more