(Dave Bedard photo)

USDA plans more pandemic programs for disadvantaged farmers

Review found disparities in farm aid distribution

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — The U.S. Department of Agriculture said on Wednesday it will dedicate at least US$6 billion to help smaller-scale and socially disadvantaged farmers who were hurt by the pandemic, along with producers of organic food and other specialty crops. The agency said it would also increase by approximately $5.6 billion payments made […] Read more

The USDA building in Washington, D.C. (Art Wager/iStock/Getty Images)

CBOT weekly outlook: Markets move ahead of USDA report

Reading Time: 2 minutes MarketsFarm — Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) market participants are awaiting next week’s prospective plantings report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), due out March 31. Ahead of the report, average trade estimates predict 93 million acres of corn, 90 million acres of soybeans and 46 million acres of wheat will be planted in […] Read more


CBOT May 2021 soybeans with Bollinger (20,2) bands. (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Soybeans extend gains on veg oil rally

Corn rangebound, weather weighs on wheat

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Chicago soybean futures gained for a fourth straight session on Wednesday supported by tightness in vegetable oil markets as traders anticipate U.S. planting data next week. Nearby corn futures rose, while deferred contracts representing the 2021 crop softened ahead of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s March 31 planting intentions and quarterly […] Read more

CBOT May 2021 soybeans (candlesticks) with 20- and 50-day moving averages and CBOT May 2021 soyoil (black line). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Soyoil leads soybean complex higher

Wheat follows corn, soy higher

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Chicago soybean futures climbed on Tuesday, led by rising soybean oil as global edible oil supplies tighten. Corn futures also moved higher, as traders weighed Brazil’s late-planted second crop against beneficial rains in Argentina. Wheat followed the markets higher, despite much-needed rainfall across the U.S. Plains production belt. The most-active soybean […] Read more


CBOT May 2021 corn with Bollinger (20,2) bands. (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Corn steps back after export-led rally

Wheat nears three-month low on better U.S. weather; soyoil pulls soybeans higher

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Chicago corn futures dipped on Monday as improving South American crop weather added pressure to prices after export sales on Friday rallied the market. Soybeans were lifted by rallying soyoil futures, while wheat closed barely higher as favourable planting weather in the U.S. Great Plains and the Black Sea region limited […] Read more

CBOT May 2021 corn with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Corn rebounds on technicals, sales to China

Soybeans also gain; wheat weak on improving U.S. crop

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn and soybean futures rebounded on Friday in an end-of-week technical and bargain buying bounce from steep losses the previous day. Corn received an additional boost from the U.S. Agriculture Department’s (USDA) confirmation of large sales to China for a fourth straight day, lifting the market to its first weekly […] Read more


CBOT May 2021 corn (candlesticks) with Bollinger bands (20,2) and May 2021 WTI crude (black line). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Corn, soy slump in broad-based commodities selloff

Weekly corn export sales top estimates, China buys more

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn and soybean futures fell on Thursday as a firm U.S. dollar and tumbling energy prices, with crude oil down more than eight per cent, stoked broad selling across commodities markets. The steepest corn and soy declines in more than a week marked a further pullback from recent highs as […] Read more

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CBOT weekly outlook: Crop futures in all directions

Reading Time: < 1 minute MarketsFarm — Chinese sales of corn and a recent run of good weather in the U.S. are affecting futures on the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) Wednesday, according to a broker. Ryan Ettner of Chicago-based Allendale Inc. said recent purchases of old-crop corn from China are supporting prices, while prices for new-crop have stayed relatively […] Read more


CBOT May 2021 soybeans with Bollinger (20,2) bands. (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Soybeans slide on slowing exports, Argentina rains

USDA confirms more U.S. corn sales to China

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures retreated on Wednesday on slowing export sales as global demand shifts to South American supplies and as U.S. farmers prepare to dramatically increase plantings of the oilseed this spring. Corn futures were mixed, with the nearby contract firming as strong sales to China stoked concerns about tightening supplies. […] Read more

For silage, breeders want as much total plant with a moist kernel and which stays green as long as possible.

Choosing corn hybrids specifically for silage

Leafy floury hybrids are more digestible in the silo and in the rumen

Reading Time: 5 minutes Producers know that feeding high-quality silage can improve weight gain in beef cattle and increase milk production in dairy cows. So it makes sense to consider growing a corn hybrid bred specifically for silage rather than grain. Francis Glenn, a corn breeder and president of Glenn Seed in Ontario, saw the opportunity for silage-specific corn […] Read more