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

U.S. grains: Soybeans run up to three-week high on hot, dry weather

Wheat eases on Ukrainian export efforts

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago soybeans rose for a fourth straight session on Monday, reaching a three-week high as hot, dry U.S. conditions fueled concerns over crop stress. Wheat fell as Ukraine sought new Black Sea avenues for export, adding pressure to corn futures. Markets were awaiting results from the annual Pro Farmer crop tour, […] Read more

(Dave Bedard/File photo)

AAFC cuts production numbers on drought

Wheat production figures reduced, corn up

MarketsFarm — Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada published its August outlook for principal field crops on Friday, with some notable changes. Production for several cereal, oilseed and pulse crop were reduced, leading to revisions in exports, domestic usage and ending stocks. The report pointed to drought in southern Alberta and western Saskatchewan for the downward move. […] Read more

CME October 2023 live cattle with 20-, 50- and 75-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: October live cattle futures lowest since July

October hogs up almost a cent

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures ended lower on Thursday, with the most-active contract hitting its lowest price since July, as the market continued to retreat from recent highs. Futures and cash prices have jumped this year after drought reduced the amount of pastures available for grazing and prompted U.S. cattle […] Read more

CME October 2023 live cattle with 20- and 50-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME live cattle set two-week low

Lean hogs touch June low

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures stumbled to their lowest level in more than two weeks on Wednesday, while lean hogs hit their lowest price since June. Drought prompted U.S. cattle producers to reduce their herds since last year by driving up feed costs and reducing the amount of pasture available […] Read more

Smoke rises from a wildfire near Wildwood, Alta., about 100 km west of Edmonton, on May 5, 2023. (Photo: Alberta Wildfire/Handout via Reuters)

Alberta farmers granted late AgriStability entry

Enrolment deadline now Sept. 29

Any Alberta producers who were considering AgriStability — but only in hindsight — for the income stabilization plan’s 2023 program year now have until Sept. 29 to apply. Ottawa and the province announced Aug. 4 that they’ve reopened the jointly-funded program, as wildfires and/or “extremely dry” growing conditions have dragged on many Alberta producers’ work […] Read more


A University of Illinois research team, including Kevin Ricks, determined free-living soil microbes don’t respond to plants’ cries for help during drought. Rather, they adapt to drought on their own and incidentally provide benefits.

Soil microbes help plants cope with drought

Science Notes: Microbes seen to adapt to drought over time

Plants call out with chemical signals in times of stress, summoning microbes that can unlock bound nutrients and find water in soil pores too small for the finest roots. In return, microbes get a safe place to live or a sugary drink. It’s a classic you-scratch-my-back-I’ll-scratch-yours scenario. Except when it’s not. New research from the […] Read more

File photo of a sunrise over an Alberta barley crop. (MNphotography/iStock/Getty Images)

Feed weekly outlook: Crop conditions, barley demand lower

Prices expected steady to lower for now

MarketsFarm — As combining operations begin, dryness continues to plague crops in many parts of Saskatchewan. But while crop conditions aren’t as bad as they were during the drought of 2021, according to trader Evan Peterson from JGL Commodities in Saskatoon, crops are still very parched. “Southern and western parts are very, very poor. But […] Read more

File photo of a Chinese cornfield. (Baona/iStock/Getty Images)

Rain in China’s northeast brings relief for corn, drought risk remains

An oversupply of hogs, weak demand are pressuring pork prices

Beijing | Reuters – Recent rainfall in China’s northeastern breadbasket has relieved drought across most of the region, an agriculture ministry official said Friday, but risks remain with the El Nino weather pattern potentially bringing more extreme weather this summer. China is the world’s second-biggest corn producer and about 40 per cent of its crop […] Read more


Crop conditions in parts of western Saskatchewan have already dropped into crop insurance range, Burce Burnett says. (WeatherFarm video screengrab)

At Ag in Motion: Significant Prairie yield drop expected

'A lot of damage done' by drought, Bruce Burnett says

MarketsFarm has released its first yield estimates for Western Canada’s crops and the outlook is grim. Analyst Bruce Burnett just recently completed a crop tour covering most of Saskatchewan. “Unfortunately, I don’t have a lot of good news on the crop front,” he told growers attending the Ag in Motion show in Langham, Sask. “There […] Read more

Corn is faring better than wheat and soybeans in many areas according to agronomists.

What drought means after early season

How will dry conditions affect winter wheat, spring seeded crops and pest pressure?

Drought conditions are persisting across many parts of Ontario, despite recent rain events. From uneven emergence to the potential for increased pest pressure, continuation of dry, hot weather will not be friendly to much of the province’s staple grain crops. In the Dundalk area, winter wheat has been grievously affected by dry weather. Deb Campbell, […] Read more