A file photo of cattle mustering in Australia’s Outback. (Hypedesk/iStock/Getty Images)

Australia requests China trade talks over beef, barley

Sydney | Reuters — Australia’s trade minister is seeking urgent talks with his Chinese counterpart after key agriculture exports were hit with suspensions and tariff threats, but said Australia will continue to push for an inquiry into the COVID-19 outbreak. Trade minister Simon Birmingham requested a telephone call with Chinese commerce minister Zhong Shan after […] Read more

A corn crop west of Grunthal, Man. on Aug. 17, 2019. (Dave Bedard photo)

Global wheat, corn, soy production expected to increase

MarketsFarm — Global crop production in the latest monthly supply and demand report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is expected to increase for wheat, corn and soybeans. USDA released its world agriculture supply and demand estimates (WASDE) on Tuesday. The expectation is that global wheat production will be bumped up by 0.56 per […] Read more

(Photo courtesy Canola Council of Canada)

Grains, oilseeds, pulses hold their own amid pandemic

MarketsFarm — Prices for grains, oilseeds and pulses are not as bad off as livestock values are due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Neil Townsend, chief market analyst for FarmLink Solutions in Winnipeg. FarmLink hosted a webinar Wednesday to provide its outlook for the coming crop year. One thing Townsend stressed was there is […] 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

Wheat is piled after harvest in Australia.

Australia’s wheat crop troubled

Drought continues, and it’s losing market share in Indonesia and Malaysia

MarketsFarm – Australia’s wheat crop is not looking good for 2019-20 and it’s more than the ongoing drought that’s to blame. As production in Australia has declined, it has also lost global market share, said a report from a United States Department of Agriculture attaché. Why it matters: As Australian wheat production plummets, do does […] Read more


MGEX March 2020 spring wheat with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Wheat futures rally, pull corn higher

Chicago soybean futures weaken

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat futures surged 4.5 per cent on Tuesday, their biggest gain since May, as cuts to the harvest outlook in Australia bolstered prospects for U.S. exports, traders said. The rally in wheat, which closed near session highs as technical buyers entered the market after the early strength, underpinned the corn […] Read more

(Rahr.com)

Strong export demand, acreage ahead for barley

Lower supplies from Australia benefit Canadian growers

MarketsFarm — Canadian malting barley acreage is expected to remain high in the coming year, mostly due to strong export demand. Peter Watts, managing director of the Canadian Malting Barley Technical Center in Winnipeg, said tough harvest conditions were partially to blame for lowered malt barley output in 2019. “We had a fairly lousy harvest, […] Read more




Forecaster Drew Lerner speaks at Ag Days 2020 in Brandon. (Manitoba Co-operator photo by Alexis Stockford)

Favourable growing conditions forecast for major ag regions

MarketsFarm — Canadian producers looking for challenging growing conditions elsewhere in the world to prop up commodity prices may be disappointed during the 2020 growing season. South America “If you’re looking for any help from South America for your canola or soybeans or corn, you’d better look somewhere else,” Drew Lerner, president of World Weather […] Read more