CBOT July 2020 wheat with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Wheat hits eight-month low as harvest advances

Soybeans gain on trade optimism; ethanol report supports corn

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago wheat futures edged downward on Wednesday reaching an eight-month low as the U.S. harvest continues and rainfall across Europe allayed recent weather worries. Corn prices climbed after early losses, ending in positive territory on increased ethanol use, but capped by pressure from favourable weather across the U.S. Midwest, while soybeans […] Read more

File photo of a chickpea crop in India. (Nikhil Patil/iStock/Getty Images)

Unseasonal rain, hail damage winter crops in India

Crop quality issues may pressure prices

New Delhi | Reuters — Unseasonal torrential rains and hailstorms have damaged the winter-planted crops of millions of Indian growers, inundating wheat, potato, chickpea and rapeseed farms in large parts of the fertile northern plains, farmers said. Most farmers were caught by surprise by the repeated rain and hail that has lashed fields full of […] Read more

Forecaster Drew Lerner, shown here at Ag Days 2020 in Brandon, sees a cooler-than-normal spring ahead for the Prairies. (Manitoba Co-operator photo by Alexis Stockford)

Variable Prairie weather makes for uncertain spring ahead

If nothing else, a rainy harvest season helped replenish topsoil moisture

MarketsFarm — Late-season rains wreaked havoc on the 2019 harvest season but were helpful in restoring topsoil moisture to key growing regions in the Prairies. Since snow coverage has been variable across the Prairies so far in 2020, however, the growing season may get off to a rocky start. “If we take a look at […] Read more

The USDA building in Washington, D.C. (Art Wager/iStock/Getty Images)

Most oilseed estimates down in USDA’s October outlook

MarketsFarm — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released its monthly oil crops outlook on Tuesday featuring reductions in global rapeseed and sunflower production and U.S. soybeans. USDA estimated global rapeseed production at 68.6 million tonnes, a decline of one million, with the lion’s share of the losses in Canada. Canadian production for 2019-20 was […] Read more




File photo of rice growing near Pune in Maharashtra, western India. (ePhotocorp/iStock/Getty Images)

Near-normal monsoon expected in India

MarketsFarm — Monsoon rains in India are expected to be near normal in 2019, according to the first long-range forecast of the year from the India Meteorological Department. The southwest monsoon typically runs from June through September. It provides crucial moisture for the country’s agriculture sector, as it accounts for roughly 70 per cent of […] Read more

Prairie harvest window possible next week

Prairie harvest window possible next week

CNS Canada — Cold and wet conditions on the Prairies are expected to clear up over the next week, allowing a window of opportunity for harvest, though the size of that window remains to be seen. “Western and northern parts of Alberta have some serious issues,” said Drew Lerner of World Weather Inc. in Kansas […] Read more



The Chicago Board of Trade building on May 28, 2018. (Harmantasdc/iStock Editorial/Getty Images)

CBOT weekly outlook: Heavy rains threaten soybean quality

CNS Canada — Heavy rains across the U.S. Midwest and a murky outlook on international trade appear ready to drive down the soybean market in the lead-up to next week’s supply and demand report. The U.S. Department of Agriculture will release its monthly estimates on Sept. 12 and traders have already started to take positions. […] Read more