(Dave Bedard photo)

Analysts expect little change in new StatCan numbers

Weather was 'pretty conducive to plantings'

MarketsFarm — Dry conditions in much of the Prairies this spring may leave seeding areas relatively unchanged ahead of Statistic Canada’s (StatCan) principal field crop report, due to be released Wednesday. It will be the second survey-based acreage report for the 2023-24 marketing year, after the first one was released in April. While growing conditions […] Read more

Photo: File

Repeat of record Australian wheat, canola crops unlikely

ABARES expects 2023-24 crop down on year

MarketsFarm — After growing record-large wheat and canola crops in 2022-23, Australia is expected to see a significant drop in production in 2023-24 as developing El Nino weather patterns will likely cut rainfall through the growing season, according to the latest crop report from the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES). […] Read more

Field peas. (Lisa Guenther photo)

Pulse weekly outlook: Manitoba crops get good start but need rain

Some bean growers seek moisture at lower planting depths

MarketsFarm — Pulse growers in Manitoba are waiting for one thing: rain. So far in May, growing areas of the province have not seen any significant precipitation, according to Dennis Lange, industry development specialist for pulse crops with Manitoba Agriculture. Dry beans, he said, are the last pulse crop farmers have been planting in Manitoba […] Read more

CBOT July 2023 soft red winter wheat with 20-day moving average, MGEX July 2023 hard red spring wheat (yellow line) and K.C. July 2023 hard red winter wheat (orange line). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Wheat up off two-year low, pulls corn higher

Soybeans down on profit-taking

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat futures rose 2.6 per cent on Tuesday, bouncing from their lowest in more than two years, on concerns that Ukraine’s exports were being restricted despite the extension of the Black Sea export deal, traders said. The gains in wheat lent support to corn futures, while soybeans retreated on profit-taking […] Read more

FIle photo of a welcome sign at North Dakota’s southern state line. (Solange_Z/E+/Getty Images)

CBOT weekly outlook: North Dakota corn growers switch to soy, sunflower

'Tough day in the markets' as Black Sea deal extended

MarketsFarm — Faced with a late start due to wet conditions, North Dakota farmers are changing their spring planting plans. They’re switching from corn to crops such as soybeans and sunflowers, according to analyst Tom Lilja of Progressive Ag in Fargo. “Guys just started rolling here on [May 14 and 15] fairly heavy. There was […] Read more


CBOT July 2023 soft red winter wheat with Bollinger bands (20,2), Minneapolis July 2023 hard red spring wheat (yellow line) and K.C. July 2023 hard red winter wheat (orange line). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Chicago wheat up on Black Sea deal doubts

Cancelled China sales weigh on corn prices

Mexico City | Reuters — Chicago wheat hit a one-week high and closed up on Thursday as markets cautiously eye developments on the Black Sea grains corridor following a wave of fresh tensions between Russia and Ukraine. Corn clawed back some ground lost early in the day to close nearly flat after news of cancelled […] Read more

File photo of a canola field in northern France’s Normandy region. (Brasil2/iStock/Getty Images)

Rapeseed production expected down in EU

USDA attache sees more soy, sunflower

MarketsFarm — Rapeseed production in the European Union (EU) is expected to see a small decrease in the 2023-24 marketing year, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) European Union attaché in Vienna. In a Global Agricultural Information Network (GAIN) report released Wednesday, the EU’s 2023-24 rapeseed crop is expected to total 19.3 million […] Read more

File photo of a pea crop south of Ethelton, Sask. on Aug. 1, 2019. (Dave Bedard photo)

Pulse weekly outlook: Seeding to start in Manitoba, Saskatchewan

Saskatchewan lentils expected to lose acres to wheat, canola

MarketsFarm — With the calendar turning to May and temperatures expected to surpass 20 C this week, pulse seedings are set to begin for parts of Manitoba and Saskatchewan. “Right now, we’re still in a bit of a holding pattern,” said Manitoba provincial pulse specialist Dennis Lange. “We haven’t really had much for drying. Now […] Read more


The rush to get to the fields can cause some producers to overlook obvious safety concerns.

Rush on planting can increase safety risks

A successful planting season should include attention to safety, say experts

Although Agricultural Safety Week was observed March 12-18, now is the time for heightened awareness and planning. Agriculture is one of the most dangerous professions, yet larger farming operations and increased pressure to get crops planted can translate to anxiety and tension, and can distract producers from the hazards they face. “It’s ‘go time’, so […] Read more

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

ICE weekly outlook: StatCan’s canola area estimate questioned

Traders predict significant increase ahead

MarketsFarm — Statistics Canada on Wednesday released its first survey-based seeding intentions report for the 2023-24 marketing year, reporting an anticipated 0.9 per cent rise in canola acres, to 21.6 million. The figure occupied the lower end of trade expectations, but StatCan recently adopted a new methodology of conducting the survey last December and January, […] Read more