Reading Time: 2 minutes Sao Paulo | Reuters — A strike by Brazilian federal agricultural agents responsible for approving certificates required for shipments could affect Brazil’s corn exports, the director of the cereal exporters association Anec Sergio Mendes said Friday. Mendes said the strike that started on Thursday was “the worst thing that could happen” to grain exports, though […] Read more
Exporters fear Brazil agents’ strike could hurt corn exports
Russia defends crop data reliability
Reading Time: < 1 minute Moscow | Reuters –– Russia’s agriculture ministry defended the reliability of its crop data on Thursday, after a farmers’ lobby said regional officials were pressuring farmers to report bigger grain crops to the ministry than they actually harvested this year. The ministry said its numbers, compiled by its regional departments which send “operational information” to […] Read more
Labatt owner AB InBev seeks US$275B tie-up with SABMiller
Reading Time: 4 minutes Brussels/London | Reuters — Anheuser-Busch InBev, the world’s largest brewer, has approached rival SABMiller about a takeover that would form a colossus producing a third of the world’s beer. A merged group would have a market value of around US$275 billion (C$363 billion) at current prices, and would combine AB InBev’s dominance of Latin America […] Read more
Wheat basis levels improve, futures stay bearish
Reading Time: 2 minutes CNS Canada –– Canada’s spring wheat basis has hit fresh highs to spur producer selling, but overall the market remains bearish. “It does seem kind of counterintuitive to see cash prices strengthening right during harvest,” said Brenda Tjaden Lepp, co-founder of FarmLink Marketing Solutions in Winnipeg. Over the past week, quoted basis levels for Canada […] Read more
Malt barley prices strong despite ongoing harvest
Reading Time: 2 minutes CNS Canada — Commodity prices typically buckle under harvest pressure, but malt barley has been acting as the shining star of cash markets. Influencers within Canada and globally have contributed to the climb, according to one industry expert. Cash prices for delivered elevator malt barley range between $5.25 and $5.75 per bushel, according to Prairie […] Read more
Prairie wheat bids climb higher
Reading Time: 3 minutes CNS Canada — Cash wheat bids across Western Canada posted solid gains during the week ended Friday, as U.S. futures recovered from their five-year lows and Canadian basis levels showed some improvement. Average Canada Western Red Spring (CWRS) wheat prices were up by C$9 to $13 per tonne across the three Prairie provinces, according to […] Read more
Three things to read in your grain contract
Reading Time: 3 minutes Do you read your grain contracts from front to back? If so, you’re one of the few who do. A University of Manitoba study found only 17 per cent of Canadian farmers read their whole grain contracts — and that’s a mistake, says a grain industry expert. “For every grain buyer out there, the terms […] Read more
U.S. court finds EPA wrong to approve sulfoxaflor over bee risks
Reading Time: 3 minutes Reuters — A U.S. appeals court ruled on Thursday that federal regulators erred in allowing an insecticide developed by Dow AgroSciences onto the market, canceling its approval and giving environmentalists a major victory. The ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, in San Francisco, is significant for commercial beekeepers and others […] Read more
Feed barley looking bearish
Reading Time: < 1 minute CNS Canada –– Seasonal harvest pressure is starting to weigh on feed grains in Western Canada, while quality downgrades to crops still on the field may put further pressure on values going forward. “There are quite a few bearish indicators out there,” said Kyle Sinclair, of CorNine Commodities at Lacombe, Alta. For starters, early yield […] Read more
Churchill to move pulses this fall, consider partnerships
Reading Time: 2 minutes Churchill | CNS Canada –– As its shipping season gets underway, the operators of Manitoba’s Port of Churchill are considering options for keeping the port viable going forward — especially as the end looms for its government subsidy. Churchill has previously relied on the Canadian Wheat Board as its primary supplier of grain, but in […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
