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Klassen: Tighter supplies underpin western Canadian feeder market

Weather conditions may sway buying interest

Compared to last week, western Canadian yearling prices were unchanged to $4 higher. Heavier calves notched a week-over-week gain of $2-$4. Mid-weight and lighter calves traded steady to $5 lower in Alberta but $4-$5 on either side of unchanged in Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Yearling numbers were limited and buyers paid up for quality packages while […] Read more

Syngenta’s headquarters in Basel, Switzerland, August 2019.  Photo: Reuters/Arnd Wiegmann

Syngenta sales growth eases but still quite robust

Reuters – Swiss agrichemicals and seeds group Syngenta on Thursday logged slightly slower – albeit still robust – growth in sales and core earnings for the third quarter. The Chinese-owned company, which plans to list within the next few months, said sales jumped 20 per cent to $7.9 billion in the three months to the […] Read more

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U.S. livestock: Supply concerns drive CME live cattle to new contract high

Chicago | Reuters – Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures closed higher and reached a new contract high on Wednesday amid concerns about tightening U.S. supplies, brokers said. Strong recent gains have left the market technically overbought and due for a setback, brokers said. “We’ve had a nice rally here,” said Matt Wiegand, commodity broker […] Read more


Containers were stacked up on a container ship at the port of Antwerp, Belgium, late last month. Canadian exporters continue to accuse the European Union of using technical barriers to hinder trade.

CETA still not fully delivering

Agriculture sector wants feds to make progress on removing barriers, five years after deal was signed

Glacier FarmMedia – Canadian and European officials celebrated five years of their trade agreement recently, but many in Canadian agriculture are still waiting to see the benefits. Canadian Cattle Association general manager Ryder Lee said beef producers are frustrated that they haven’t been able to reach European markets. [RELATED] Red meat trade with EU remains […] Read more



CBOT November 2022 soybeans (candlesticks) with Bollinger bands (20,2). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Soy, wheat, corn fall as export concerns rise

Low depths on Mississippi hinder export traffic

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Board of Trade soybean futures fell to a 2-1/2 month low on Thursday, under pressure from the ongoing U.S. harvest and signs of weak overseas demand, traders said. Poor export demand also weighed on the corn and wheat markets as investors remained wary of an economic downturn. “The grain and […] Read more

Barley. (Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Feed weekly outlook: Barley values steady, wheat rises

MarketsFarm — As the harvest across most of the Prairies begins to wind down, price movement for feed barley has remained fairly stable, according to Erin Harakal, senior trader for Agfinity at Stony Plain, Alta. “October is getting covered is what’s happening. There’s not too much room left for October,” Harakal said, noting the midway […] Read more


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Quinoa production improves in 2022-23

Yields swing closer to average level

MarketsFarm — Compared to last year, Canada’s 2022-23 quinoa harvest has significantly improved, with yields exceeding expectations, according to Michael Dutcheshen of Saskatoon-based NorQuin. “Last year was a tough year for Canadian farmers for all crops, with quinoa no exception. This year is looking a lot more positive. We seem to have missed the hot […] Read more

ICE November 2022 canola (candlesticks) with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages (yellow, purple and black lines). (Barchart)

ICE weekly outlook: Rising canola prices hit a one-day thud

"There's a day where we need to take a pause"

MarketsFarm — ICE Futures canola rose like Icarus over the past few weeks, but just like that Greek mythological figure, it flew too high, only to come back down to Earth. After the November canola contract rose in seven of its last eight sessions — in the middle of harvest, no less — and gained […] Read more