Fields of unharvested corn were common around parts of Ontario, with many fields affected by Gibberella ear rot, leading to issues with DON.

Researchers discover a way to eliminate almost all DON toxicity in corn

A detox for contaminated corn may be just around the corner

Reading Time: 5 minutes As farmers think back to the challenges of the 2018 growing season, learning to deal with DON is probably top of mind. Indeed, it really was one of, if not THE worst year ever for managing the impacts of deoxynivalenol. Not only did growers have trouble harvesting their infected corn, but delivery also became a […] Read more

Tar spot infection in a field last September in Illinois, where symptoms appeared late in the season.

Tar spot comes to corn

First identified in the U.S. in 2015, there is so much to learn about tar spot and its impact

Reading Time: 6 minutes The alarm bells were ringing. In just one year, Asian soybean rust could move in and devastate huge tracts of beans. Palmer amaranth swept north from the mid-south in 2010 to Michigan in only two years. It’s not that crop pathologists and weed specialists were trying to alarm growers as much as make them aware […] Read more


A corn crop west of Grunthal, Man. on Aug. 17, 2019. (Dave Bedard photo)

StatsCan forecasts near-record corn crop

Reading Time: < 1 minute MarketsFarm — Canada’s corn crop is forecast to be the second largest on record despite a delayed start to spring planting, as yields showed an improvement from earlier forecasts, according to updated production estimates Thursday from Statistics Canada. Using a combination of satellite imagery, previous survey data, and agro-climatic data, the latest Statistics Canada report […] Read more

Standing sell orders may be a wise corn marketing strategy this fall.

Why the 2019 corn growing season is far from over

There’s still plenty of production risk as we head toward October, so watch for market opportunities

Reading Time: 5 minutes When I plant corn I often think of the journey it will undergo to reach maturity. In Canada, the winter snows are still fresh in our memories when corn planters head to the field. Often times, the weather is cold as the seed is placed in the soil in some precision way. After the corn […] Read more


A barley crop south of Ethelton, Sask. on July 30, 2019. (Dave Bedard photo)

Feed weekly outlook: Barley bouncing back, reducing need for corn

Reading Time: < 1 minute MarketsFarm — This year has been proving good for barley, according to trader Allen Pirness of Market Place Commodities in Lethbridge. “A lot of acres went in and that takes the edge off of supply,” Pirness said of the barley crop throughout southern Alberta. There had been a switch to corn in feed rations last […] Read more

(Dave Bedard photo)

Fund traders add to net short positions in canola, corn

Reading Time: < 1 minute MarketsFarm — Fund traders added to their large net short position in canola during the week ended Tuesday, according to the latest commitment of traders (CoT) report from the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). The net managed money short position in canola came in Tuesday at 65,750, an increase of 3,600 contracts from the […] Read more


CBOT November 2019 soybeans with 21-day moving average. (Barchart)

CBOT weekly outlook: Late U.S. crop should slow corn price declines

Reading Time: 2 minutes MarketsFarm — Chicago Board of Trade corn futures fell to fresh contract lows during the week ended Wednesday, but could be running out of room to the downside amid concerns over the lateness of this year’s U.S. crop. “The weather is benign and the government is telling us there’s really no problem with the crop,” […] Read more



The Big River Resources ethanol plant at West Burlington, Iowa, about 120 km southwest of Davenport. (Steven Vaughn photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

Trump promises ethanol-related ‘giant package’ to please farmers

Reading Time: 3 minutes Washington/South Sioux City | Reuters — President Donald Trump said on Thursday his administration is planning a “giant package” related to ethanol that would please U.S. farmers angry that many more oil refiners have been freed from obligations to use the corn-based fuel. Clashes between farmers and the oil industry over biofuel policy have posed […] Read more