Federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau speaks to media in Winnipeg on Feb. 13, 2020. (Dave Bedard photo)

Coronavirus stalls talks with China on canola ban

Officials 'not in position to pursue technical discussions,' Bibeau says

Reading Time: 2 minutes Ottawa | Reuters — The coronavirus outbreak has stalled talks between Canada and China about Beijing’s decision to block Canadian canola seed shipments, Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau said Friday. China, angry at Canada’s detention of a top Huawei Technologies executive in December 2018, blocked all imports of canola seed last March on the grounds they […] Read more

(File photo by Dave Bedard)

Fund traders still bearish on canola

Reading Time: < 1 minute MarketsFarm — Large fund traders covered short positions in soybeans and corn during the week ended Tuesday, but continued to add to bearish bets in canola, 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 ICE Futures canola came in […] Read more


ICE Futures May 2020 canola with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

ICE weekly outlook: Canola values stuck in a range

Reading Time: < 1 minute MarketsFarm — Canola prices came off of the long weekend in the green, but quickly gave back those gains at midweek, remaining stagnant and rangebound. While rail blockades across the country have hampered rail activity and backed up grain shipments, cold weather has slowed down farmer movement for canola. That has insulated canola prices from […] Read more

A canola field blooms in Manitoba’s Interlake on July 11, 2019.  (Greg Berg photo)

Canola supplies in commercial pipeline hit fresh high

Reading Time: < 1 minute MarketsFarm — Visible canola supplies in the commercial pipeline hit their highest level in more than three years in the latest Canadian Grain Commission data, with the slow pace of export movement likely to keep those stocks at burdensome levels. Total visible Canadian canola supplies as of Sunday were pegged at 1.6 million tonnes. That’s […] Read more


(File photo by Dave Bedard)

Fund traders add to bearish bets in canola

Reading Time: < 1 minute MarketsFarm — Large fund traders were busy adding to short positions in canola, soybeans and corn during the first few trading days of February, 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 ICE Futures canola came in Tuesday at […] Read more

Dominic Barton. (Video screengrab from McKinsey.com)

Canada, China both ‘furious’ over Huawei row, envoy says

Reading Time: 2 minutes Ottawa | Reuters — Canada and China are both “furious” over the case of a Huawei executive detained in Canada in 2018 and its aftermath, but there are signs the two sides can hold constructive talks, the Canadian ambassador to Beijing said Wednesday. Canadian police picked up Huawei Technologies chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou on […] Read more


ICE Futures March 2020 canola with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

ICE weekly outlook: Canola correcting off lows

Reading Time: < 1 minute MarketsFarm — The ICE Futures canola market fell sharply over the last half of January but have turned the corner during the first few trading days of February. “I think we have room for some corrective gains,” MarketsFarm Pro analyst Mike Jubinville said of the recovery in canola. The March contract hit a session low […] Read more

File photo of canola under snow in October 2016. (Lisa Guenther photo)

Unharvested crops skew StatsCan stocks data

Reading Time: 2 minutes MarketsFarm — Canadian canola stocks were slightly tighter at the end of the 2019 calendar year compared to the previous year, according to updated Statistics Canada data. However, adverse harvest conditions left a large amount of the crop unaccounted for in the survey, which skews the overall supply/demand outlook. “Because of poor weather conditions during […] Read more


(Dave Bedard photo)

Fund short position grows in canola

Reading Time: < 1 minute MarketsFarm — Large fund traders were betting that canola and soybean futures would move lower in late January, with the net managed money short position in both oilseeds rising in the latest commitment of traders (CoT) report from the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). The net managed money short position in ICE Futures canola […] Read more

Loading grain on a vessel at a Burrard Inlet terminal. (Maxvis/iStock/Getty Images)

Poor Chinese demand a setback for grain exports

Reading Time: 2 minutes MarketsFarm — Canadian grain exports from licensed facilities are running well behind the previous year’s pace, due primarily to a sharp reduction in movement to China, according to latest monthly data from the Canadian Grain Commission. Total exports at Dec. 31 of grain, oilseed and pulse crops for the 2019-20 crop year to date came […] Read more