(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Russia-Turkey tensions stymie new wheat deals

Reuters — Political tension between Russia and Turkey has put a brake on new wheat deals between the two countries and created uncertainty about existing agreements, traders said Thursday. Relations between Russia, one of the world’s largest wheat exporters, and Turkey, the largest buyer of Russian wheat, have quickly deteriorated after Turkey shot down a […] Read more

(Stephen Ausmus photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

U.S. grains: Wheat firms but weak exports limit gains

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat futures firmed on Thursday on technical buying including short-covering, but advances were modest as export sentiment remained gloomy. Soybean futures also rose while corn closed narrowly mixed. At the Chicago Board of Trade, December wheat settled up 3-1/4 cents at $4.98 a bushel, after briefly trading above $5 for […] Read more

(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

World weather worth watching as winter hits Canada

CNS Canada –– Harvest is wrapping up in Western Canada, but seeding is just starting in other parts of the world. Here are a few of the top market influencers traders and farmers are watching heading into winter. El Nino in the Southern Hemisphere – The Southern Hemisphere is starting its wheat growing season, said […] Read more

Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich (l) and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev. (Government.ru)

Russian government proposes cutting wheat export tax

Semikarakorsk, Russia | Reuters — The Russian government has proposed cutting its floating wheat export tax from Oct. 1 and to exempt durum wheat from the levy, a senior official said on Thursday. Russian wheat exports have been constrained by the tax, which has prevented exporters from fully benefitting from the weaker rouble and a […] Read more

(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Syria needs more wheat, despite healthy harvest

Abu Dhabi | Reuters — Syrian farmers enduring a fifth year of civil war have sold less wheat to the state than last year despite a better harvest and higher offer price, leaving a large shortfall to be made up with imports complicated by western sanctions. President Bashar al-Assad’s government has lost control over many […] Read more


Russian farm lobby says crop reports artificially high

Moscow | Reuters — Russian regional officials are pressuring farmers to report more grain crop than they actually harvest this year, the head of farmers’ lobby the Grain Union said on Tuesday. Arkady Zlochevsky said the difference between the actual harvest and the declared figures was not significant. However, his comments could be troubling for […] Read more

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New Russian wheat tax puts exporters, traders on edge

Moscow | Reuters –– Russia approved the launch of a new wheat export tax from July 1, which traders say could threaten profits on advance contracts for the new crop if the rouble weakens in coming months. Russia’s government said Friday that the new tax was intended to stop exports surging if the rouble drops […] Read more

Russian ag ministry proposes new wheat export duty formula

Donskoy | Reuters –– Russia’s agriculture ministry said on Tuesday it had finalized the methodology for the calculation of a wheat export duty that will be introduced from July 1. It has proposed exporters pay a duty of one rouble per tonne on wheat priced up to 11,000 roubles (C$268) per tonne on a free-on-board […] Read more


Russian wheat prices follow global benchmarks higher

Tikhoretsk | Reuters — Russian wheat export prices rose last week following an increase in global benchmarks and concerns over dry and hot weather in the European part of Russia, analysts said. Russia, one of the world’s big wheat exporters, competes with other global suppliers, including France, where Western European wheat prices hit the highest […] Read more