Flea beetle. (Photo courtesy Canola Council of Canada)

Forecast, flea beetles complicate canola timing

Dry conditions make ideal seeding time difficult to peg

Drought conditions, and the odds of more to come, have some Prairie canola growers pondering when to roll the dice on seeding, if they want to do more than feed the flea beetles. Small-seeded crops, such as canola, have garnered particular concern from agronomists and producers worried about germination, given power dry topsoil across much […] Read more

CBOT July 2021 corn with Bollinger (20,2) bands. (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Corn, soy extend multi-year highs

Tightening global supply picture supportive; CBOT wheat also up

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn and soybean futures closed firm on Friday after rocketing to multi-year highs this week on tightening domestic and global supplies, traders said. As stocks from the 2020 harvest dwindle, dryness in Brazil and a U.S. cold spell raised doubts about prospects for the 2021 corn crops in the world’s […] Read more

Corn acres are expected to increase in the United States in 2021, but not as much as soybeans.

Volatile crop market expected in 2021

There’s little extra supply to endure a weather-related crop event

Glacier FarmMedia – Chip Nellinger has one central piece of advice for grain farmers heading into the 2021-22 crop year — fasten your seatbelts. “It’s going to be a real volatile, bumpy ride in my opinion this spring and summer,” the Blue Reef Agri-Marketing analyst said during the United States Farm Report segment of the […] Read more

Abnormal La Nina plays havoc with weather predictions

Abnormal La Nina plays havoc with weather predictions

Spring is expected to be wet, with a drier summer, says meteorologist

Farmers are likely to get one more hit of winter before the weather clears up for spring planting. The polar vortex could be forced back into the middle of North America by another building high pressure system, says Mike McClellan, of Mobile Weather Team Inc., during a recent webinar put on by Great Lakes Grain. […] Read more


CBOT May 2021 soybeans with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Soy, corn up on unfavourable South American weather

USDA lowers ratings for Kansas, Texas wheat crops

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. grain and soybean futures rose on Tuesday in a turnaround from losses the previous session, as concerns increased about unfavorable weather in crop-growing regions of South America. Traders are watching the effects of heat and dryness in Argentina and rains in Brazil amid worries about potential yield losses. The countries […] Read more

CBOT May 2021 wheat with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Wheat, soy, corn futures rise

Still remain below multi-year peaks

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat futures rose on Monday, led by a 2.2 per cent gain in the benchmark Chicago Board of Trade May soft red winter wheat contract, as traders focused on the condition of the crop after severe cold snaps in key growing regions. “Wheat is receiving some support from cold weather […] Read more

CBOT May 2021 corn with Bollinger (20,2) bands. (Barchart)

CBOT weekly outlook: Weather wreaks havoc on crops

MarketsFarm — Unusual weather, both in North and South America, has significantly affected commodities this week at the Chicago Board of Trade, according to a broker. A brutal cold snap, extending from northern Canada to the U.S.-Mexico border, has slowed down soybean crushing, halted production at ethanol refineries and raised energy prices in the U.S., […] Read more


Detail from the front of the CBOT building in Chicago. (Vito Palmisano/iStock/Getty Images)

CBOT weekly outlook: Soy, corn turn bearish

Traders keep an eye on South America

MarketsFarm — Soybean and corn futures backed away from multi-year highs during the week ended Wednesday, as investors took profits and weather conditions showed some improvement in South America. “The technicals are a little bearish for both corn and beans,” said Terry Reilly of Futures International in Chicago. The managed money long position in soybeans, […] Read more

(Graphic courtesy Environment and Climate Change Canada)

Longer-range forecast points to warmer-than-normal winter

MarketsFarm — Warmer-than-normal temperatures are in the long-range forecast across all of Canada for the next three months, according to the latest outlook from Environment Canada. The latest seasonal forecast from the government agency, released Thursday, calls for a 40 to 70 per cent chance of above-normal temperatures from January through March for the western […] Read more