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Western Canada has seen a substantial expansion of soybean acres.
Markets, Soybeans, Weather

The wild ride in soybean markets continues

Most years offer some reasonable pricing opportunities. This winter, they may be difficult to find

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From small beginnings in the deep southwest of Ontario, soybeans in 2018 have expanded across Canada in a very big way. In fact, when you commence the drive from Windsor, Ont., soybean fields dominate the landscape along the 401 corridor and into Quebec. It is the same in parts of Manitoba, with smaller acreages dotting […] Read more
With so much volatility in the market, 2018 could be a great year to place standing pricing orders with your elevator.
Corn, Markets

A strategy for uncertain corn markets

Market fundamentals are excellent, and European sales will surely help. But what will Mr. Trump do next?

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Growing corn can be an exciting and rewarding experience. Over the years we have seen amazing genetic improvements from the hybrid corn that we grow in our fields. Then, with planting taking place in late April and early May in Ontario and Quebec, it takes almost no time before the corn is poking through the […] Read more
Markets, Soybeans

A demanding year ahead for soybean markets

With bumper crops expected around the world, soybean growers will need to juggle currency rates, weather anomalies and key demand drivers to find their best soybean price in 2018

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Soybeans are a great crop to grow. This is reflected in the 3.1 million acres of soybeans grown this past year across Ontario. Driving from Windsor to Montreal and beyond, soybeans are a common sight. It’s on the other side of the world, though, that China, the world’s biggest consumer of soybeans, imported a whopping […] Read more
To Canadian farmers hoping for $6 corn again, I say, “Keep hoping,” but at the same time, always remember that hope is not a marketing plan.
Corn, Crops

What’s in store for corn markets in 2018?

For Canada’s corn growers, it is the best of times and the worst of times

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There is no question that growing corn is a rewarding thing to do. Increases in productivity over the last several years have helped farmers boost yields across Canada as well as throughout the greater American Corn Belt. This has led to an abundance of corn on the ground almost everywhere, but with a corresponding drop […] Read more
Placing standing cash price orders may be a wise move in a corn market that may yet see some bounces because of USDA reports and international events.
Corn, Marketing

Watch those corn prices

Sometimes it seems prices are stuck in neutral. But keep your eyes open. Global demand is enormous, and shocks can emerge overnight

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Corn is a brilliant crop to grow. Its productivity is amazing, with a planting season here in North America that starts in February in Texas and ends in June somewhere in Canada. With genetics that fight off all kinds of pests, it’s almost like there’s an explosion in the field as the crop heads into […] Read more
Corn, Crops, Markets

Finding hope in 2017 corn markets

It’s easy to be pessimistic due to global corn stocks, but demand is setting new records too. So consider posting some standing market orders, and watch prices daily

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Every year farmers go to the field hoping for something better than last year, and even though now is the dead of winter, plans are being made to raise a successful corn crop in 2017. For eastern Canadian farmers, corn has earned its status as the “go-to” crop for the region. A few years ago, […] Read more
Markets, Soybeans

A year to watch soybean markets

Global soybean supplies are up, but demand is surging too. Any production hiccups could see new market spikes

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Soybeans continue to amaze. While 40 and 50 years ago they were relegated to the deep southwest of Ontario, now they are grown increasingly across Canada. When you drive from Windsor, Ont., toward Quebec City, soybean fields dominate the landscape, while acreage climbs in the Prairie provinces as well. Simply put, soybeans are challenging the […] Read more
Heading into harvest, it’s easy to see all the reasons why the bear market could dominate our winter. But the market is fluid. Nothing ever stays the same forever, especially in corn.
Corn, Markets

Taming bearish corn markets

We’re back to the corn prices we saw before the great ethanol boom, but weather is always a wild card

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The 2016 growing season in the United States has been excellent for corn production, and it’s making distant memories of the 2012 drought that reduced U.S. corn yields and sent prices into the stratosphere. Such a severe drought doesn’t happen very often. At that time it drove corn futures to an all-time high of $8.49 […] Read more
Markets, Soybeans

Soybean marketing will take strong nerves in 2016

Producers will need confidence to pull the trigger once the market has given all that it will give

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In Canada, soybean production has been quite a success story. Where at one time soybean production was concentrated in the extreme southwest of Ontario, now it is an important part of cropping plans in an ever-expanding area. In 2016, however, there are many management challenges ahead for Canadian soybean producers. Change is our only constant, […] Read more
The rapid rise in yields, combined with the outlook for a weak loonie, means corn deserves a close look.
Corn, Markets

Corn market 2016

How big to go with corn this spring? The answer may be very big indeed

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Change is our only constant in agriculture. It seems only a few short years ago that corn farmers in southwestern Ontario used to hope to get 150 bushels per acre come harvest. In fact, much of that hope was confined to the southwest where corn was first grown in the province. In 2015, Ontario grew […] Read more

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