Reading Time: 2 minutes Moscow | Reuters — Russia’s agriculture ministry has proposed to the government to cancel a tax on wheat exports from July 1 when the 2015-16 marketing year starts, a source at the ministry told Reuters. Russia imposed the duty on wheat exports between Feb. 1 and June 30 in an effort to cool domestic food […] Read more
Russia’s ag ministry proposes to cancel wheat export tax
Feed barley likely topping out for now in Alta.
Reading Time: < 1 minute CNS Canada — Feed barley prices have shown some strength over the past month in Alberta, but are likely topping out for now as attention starts to turn to the new crop. Feed barley is now trading at about $217 per tonne for April/May delivery in the key Lethbridge, Alta. feeding area, according to feed […] Read more
U.S. spring wheat seeding ahead of average pace
Reading Time: < 1 minute CNS Canada — Hard red spring wheat planting in the U.S. is underway and advancing faster than average due to favourable warm, dry weather in many regions, according to the North Dakota Wheat Commission’s crop progress report. As of Sunday, 17 per cent of the U.S. spring wheat crop was in the ground, up from […] Read more
Our failing price system for grain
Many growers feel a corrupted basis is underpaying them for commodities
Reading Time: 7 minutes Farmers need to be asking tough questions about how our grain is priced, and we must not be satisfied without full answers. Farmers continue to be confounded by “basis.” Their complaints include the volatility in basis as well as a lack of transparency in how basis is calculated. As well, many farmers believe that the […] Read more
Prairie wheat bids drop with U.S. futures
Reading Time: 2 minutes CNS Canada –– Cash bids for Canadian wheat were down during the week ended Friday, as losses in U.S. futures weighed on values. Average Canada Western Red Spring (CWRS) wheat prices were down by C$8-10 per tonne, with bids ranging from $200 per tonne in north-central Saskatchewan to $219 per tonne in Manitoba, according to […] Read more
Your soil needs crop diversity
Stacked rotations may be worth more research, but until then, diversity is your best profit management tool
Reading Time: 4 minutes Healthy soil is the craziest, busiest jungle you can imagine. One gram of clubroot-infested soil can have a billion clubroot spores. A billion! All in a pinch of soil the size of a Skittle! Fusariums, pythiums, rhizoctonia and countless other beneficial fungi, bacteria and microbes are there, too. So are ions and molecules of calcium, […] Read more
Prairie wheat bids firm amid widening basis levels
Reading Time: 3 minutes CNS Canada — Cash bids for Canadian wheat were mostly firmer during the week ended Friday. Strengthening U.S. futures were supportive, though basis levels widened in many regions. Prices are as of April 2, due to market closures on Good Friday. Average Canada Western Red Spring (CWRS) wheat prices were down 50 cents to up […] Read more
Another European (farm equipment) invasion
Here’s a narrow-row drill that might be in your future, if you’ve got the horsepower to pull it
Reading Time: 5 minutes In 2014, all eyes seemed to be on high-speed planting, with John Deere launching its new entry early in the year, joining the ranks of European manufacturers Amazone, Horsch and Vaderstad. Horsch was the latest to join the ranks with a high-speed corn planter in 2013 while Amazone and Vaderstad have been mainstays for several […] Read more
Russia may extend tax on wheat exports, deputy PM says
Reading Time: 2 minutes Moscow | Reuters — Russia may extend a tax on wheat exports beyond July 1, but is yet to make a final decision, Russian news agencies cited Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich, who is in charge of the sector, as saying on Friday. Russia has imposed the duty on wheat exports since Feb. 1 in […] Read more
U.S. CFTC sues Kraft, Mondelez over alleged wheat price manipulation
Reading Time: < 1 minute Reuters — The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission on Wednesday charged Kraft Foods Group and Mondelez International with manipulation of prices of wheat used in products such as Oreo and Chips Ahoy cookies. The regulator alleged that Kraft and Mondelez bought $90 million of wheat futures, or a six-month supply, but never intended to take […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
