Down under, the overall approach to barley innovation has become more corporate, especially in Western Australia.

Winning the barley battle

Australia’s barley exporters are getting a global reputation for out-hustling Canada

Reading Time: 5 minutes Recently I was eating my breakfast in Sydney, listening to the Australian barley industry make its pitch to potential buyers in Ecuador. The pitch was being made over Zoom, and it was all in Spanish and English with simultaneous translation. Such is the approach of Australia’s barley growers and their representative groups in an environment […] Read more

“My parents are finding it very hard to hand over the business,” says Ryan Galbraith. “It’s like another kid to them.”

Young, and (not) feeling stuck

You’ve gone back to the farm. You’re eager to make real decisions. You feel ready for it too, if only Mom and Dad would let you. 
So how do you convince them?

Reading Time: 8 minutes We begin with a happy story. It was 3 a.m. and 18-year-old Ryan Galbraith was sitting in a seeder in a field in the middle of Western Australia when he realized all he wanted was to be a farmer. “It was one of those moments — you’re just out there enjoying it, you’re tired but […] Read more


Despite real challenges, Australia posted multiple sales wins in major markets around the world.

More competition for Canada from Down Under

Australia has learned how to grow its grain exports. Is Canada paying attention?

Reading Time: 5 minutes I remember one Christmas Eve walking in minus 38, and then a week later saw the mercury hit plus 46 on New Year’s Day. Such are the outcomes of a 14-hour plane journey between Canada and Australia. But despite the different weather, I will tell anyone who will listen that Australia and Canada have much […] Read more

CBOT March 2022 wheat (candlesticks) with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages (yellow, orange and dark green lines). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: CBOT wheat nears two-month low

Corn declines; soy ends firm

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat futures fell nearly four per cent on Wednesday and European wheat fell three per cent as a bumper Australian harvest and signs of continued competition from Black Sea supplies added to technical pressure, traders and analysts said. Corn followed wheat lower while soybean futures ended modestly higher after monthly […] Read more


CBOT March 2022 wheat (candlesticks) with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages (yellow, orange and dark green lines). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Wheat hits one-month low on USDA projections

Corn, soybean futures rise

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters –– U.S. wheat futures slumped to a one-month low on Thursday after the U.S. Department of Agriculture forecast larger-than-expected global production and stocks in a monthly report that reinforced a recent spate of bearish news. Corn and soybean futures tracked wheat lower, but promptly rebounded from their lows on speculative and technical […] Read more



CBOT March 2022 wheat (candlesticks) with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages (yellow, orange and dark green lines). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Wheat drops as U.S. dollar edges higher

Australia forecasts record wheat crop; corn, soy down on good South America weather

Reading Time: < 1 minute Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat futures retreated on Monday on a firmer dollar and as a record harvest outlook from major exporter Australia eased recent concerns about rain-damaged crops. Corn and soybeans followed wheat lower, pressured by technical selling and profit-taking and by good weekend rains in Argentina and parts of Brazil. Chicago Board […] Read more

U.S. grains: Wheat soars to nine-year peak on supply concerns, strong demand

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat futures rallied to their highest in nearly nine years on Monday as ill-timed rains in Australia and rising Russian wheat prices stoked concerns about tightening supplies among the world’s top exporters. Corn and soybeans followed wheat higher, with additional support from a waning U.S. harvest and strong domestic demand […] Read more


Over the last decade Canadian pension funds have been highly active in Australia.

Canadian investments in Australia – A focus on agriculture

Canadian investment funds see smart growth in Aussie agriculture

Reading Time: 5 minutes Over the past decade Canadian companies and pension funds have increasingly chosen Australia as a destination for investment, and they have been strategic in their approach, targeting key assets. The amount of Canadian investment in Australia outstrips Australian investment in Canada by a rate of about three to one. The commercial relationship is built on […] Read more

CBOT December 2021 wheat (candlesticks) with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages (yellow, brown and dark green lines). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Wheat firms on global supply concerns

Fertilizer risks underpin corn; soybeans weighed by harvest, firmer crush lends support

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Chicago wheat rose on Friday, supported by global supply concerns and an easing dollar. Corn followed wheat higher, but gains were dragged down by pressure from a lower soybean market as U.S. farmers reap better-than-expected harvests of the oilseed. The most-active wheat contract on the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) ended […] Read more