CBOT March 2020 soybeans with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Soy futures fall on China demand concerns

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures drifted lower for the third time in four sessions on Thursday as demand from China remained quiet, stirring fresh concerns that purchases from the world’s top oilseed buyer will fall due to the spread of the coronavirus. Corn futures also weakened, pressured by a bearish U.S. acreage forecast, […] Read more



File photo of a sunflower crop in Manitoba. (MysticEnergy/Getty Images)

Strong demand supports sunflowers

Reading Time: < 1 minute MarketsFarm — Global demand for sunflower oil is steadily increasing, according to Scoular’s Robert Deraas. Deraas, director of the Scoular Co.’s sunflower and bird food division, explained Wednesday at CropConnect in Winnipeg that the majority of Canadian sunflowers are grown for oil purposes. Increases in demand are driven largely by health-conscious consumers who use sunflower […] Read more

(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Manitoba reviewing underused forage insurance plans

About 18 per cent of forage acres insured

Reading Time: < 1 minute The Manitoba government is taking a look at its Crown crop insurance agency’s relatively under-subscribed offerings to forage growers. The provincial ag department said Tuesday it has launched a review “to better understand the purchasing decisions of Manitoba producers when it comes to forage insurance products” available via Manitoba Agricultural Services Corp. (MASC). Over 1,200 […] Read more


(Rahr.com)

Strong export demand, acreage ahead for barley

Lower supplies from Australia benefit Canadian growers

Reading Time: 2 minutes MarketsFarm — Canadian malting barley acreage is expected to remain high in the coming year, mostly due to strong export demand. Peter Watts, managing director of the Canadian Malting Barley Technical Center in Winnipeg, said tough harvest conditions were partially to blame for lowered malt barley output in 2019. “We had a fairly lousy harvest, […] Read more



(Serts/iStock/Getty Images)

Pulse weekly outlook: More acres sought for 2020

Reading Time: < 1 minute MarketsFarm — Planting intentions for red and green lentils and other pulses have been looking good for 2020 — but that might change somewhat because prices have slipped a little, said Marcos Mosnaim of Globeways Canada in Mississauga. Discussing pulse crops at a farm show last month in Saskatoon, Mosnaim said he got the strong […] Read more




(Ablokhin/iStock Editorial/Getty Images)

CBOT weekly outlook: Trade awaits solid details on ‘Phase One’

Reading Time: 2 minutes MarketsFarm — While optimism towards the ‘Phase One’ trade deal between the U.S. and China has continued, its initial impact on the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) has diminished, according to one trader. “I think the biggest thing is everyone is on hold wondering, is it real? The actual terms of this [agreement] are still […] Read more