A barley crop south of Ethelton, Sask. on July 30, 2019. (Dave Bedard photo)

Feed weekly outlook: Dry weather cuts into barley prospects

Canadian buyers already booking new-crop U.S. corn

MarketsFarm — Dry weather across the Canadian Prairies may be cutting into barley production prospects, keeping domestic feed prices underpinned for the time being despite the likelihood of large corn imports from the United States. Alberta’s barley crop was only rated 43 per cent good to excellent in the latest weekly report, well off the […] Read more

A Shanghai container terminal. (Chuyu/iStock/Getty Images)

Pulse weekly outlook: Exports solid through 10 months

West Coast ports move to clear strike backlog

MarketsFarm — Canadian pulse exports continued at a solid pace through most of the 2022-23 marketing year, although recent disruptions on the West Coast may cut into the final total. Roughly a quarter of all Canadian pea exports, a third of the lentils, and all the chickpeas typically move by container, with a strike by […] Read more


(File photo by Dave Bedard)

Net short position nearly gone in canola

Traders still net short in CBOT wheat, corn

MarketsFarm — Speculative traders continue to exit their bearish bets in canola, with the net short position dipping below 4,000 in the latest Commitments of Traders report from the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). As of July 11, the net managed money short position in canola futures came in at 3,899 contracts (34,124 short, […] Read more

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

ICE weekly outlook: Canola climbs on weather worries

Demand rationing also seen as supportive

MarketsFarm — The ICE Futures canola market moved steadily higher during the week ended Wednesday, hitting its strongest levels in more than four months as bullish chart signals and production uncertainty across the Prairies provided support. A bearish reaction in the Chicago soy complex to the latest supply/demand estimates (WASDE) from the U.S. Department of […] Read more

(Dave Bedard photo)

Fund short position hits six-month low in canola

CBOT soybeans show reduced net long

MarketsFarm — The speculative short position in ICE Futures canola fell to its smallest level in six months at the beginning of July, as fund traders covered short positions and put on some new longs. That’s according to the latest Commitments of Traders report from the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). As of July […] Read more


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

CBOT weekly outlook: Acreage at forefront in soy, corn markets

USDA estimates were bullish for soy, bearish for corn

MarketsFarm — Surprising acreage estimates released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture last Friday could remain a major feature in soybean and corn markets for the foreseeable future, as traders contemplate a much smaller-than-expected soybean acreage base and larger-than-expected corn area. “You can’t close your eyes on these acreage numbers,” said Scott Capinegro of Barrington […] Read more

MGEX September 2023 hard red spring wheat with 20-day moving average and K.C. September 2023 hard red winter wheat (orange line). (Barchart)

Prairie cash wheat: Canadian bids drop with U.S. futures

Canadian dollar also down on week

MarketsFarm — Spring wheat bids in Western Canada dropped sharply during the week ended Thursday, as a selloff in U.S. futures weighed on values. Average Canada Western Red Spring (CWRS, 13.5 per cent protein) wheat prices were down by $23.50-$25.40 per tonne across the Prairies, according to price quotes from a cross-section of delivery points […] Read more

File photo of the facade of the U.S. Department of Agriculture building in Washington, D.C. (Camrocker/iStock/Getty Images)

U.S. farmers plant more corn, less soybeans in 2023

Total U.S. wheat acres estimated up about 8.5 per cent

MarketsFarm — Farmers in the United States seeded more corn and less soybeans than earlier intentions in 2023, according to updated acreage data Friday from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Total corn plantings in the country were estimated by USDA at 94.1 million acres, which was a million acres above the top end of trade […] Read more



Wheat in progress west of Pathlow, Sask. on Aug. 1, 2022. (Dave Bedard photo)

Canadian canola, wheat area up on the year: StatCan

More soybean, corn acres also estimated

MarketsFarm — Canadian farmers planted more canola than earlier intentions, according to updated acreage estimates from Statistics Canada released Wednesday. Meanwhile, wheat plantings hit their highest level in more than two decades. Total canola plantings were estimated at 22.1 million acres by the government agency, which compares with the 21.6 million expected in April and […] Read more