Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — A clearer picture of damage to crops in the path of last week’s derecho storm emerged on Wednesday, as crop scouts on an annual tour scrambled across blown-over corn stalks and wind-battered soybean fields in Illinois and Iowa. Iowa officials on Tuesday warned much of the crop in the path of […] Read more
Storm and drought impacts on Iowa corn seen in crop tour
U.S. grains: Soybeans up with exports, corn up slightly on dry weather
Big expected Russian, Canadian crops weaken wheat
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Chicago soybean futures rose on Monday as a spate of new-crop soybean export sales eased concerns about forecasts of huge harvests across the U.S. Midwest. Corn futures were buoyed by dryness in top corn-producing states, as weekend rainfall missed drought-stricken parts of western Iowa. Meanwhile, wheat futures slipped on estimates for […] Read more
More tax deferral zones announced for ranchers
Final list released for 2019 tax year
Reading Time: 2 minutes More ranchers who were up against a dry 2019 may now be eligible to defer some income from their livestock sales for the income tax year. The federal government on Tuesday released the “final list” of designated regions where income tax deferral on sales of breeding livestock has been authorized for 2019. In a prescribed […] Read more
Zimbabwe says grain stocks running out after drought
Reading Time: 2 minutes Harare | Reuters — Zimbabwe has only 100,000 tonnes of grain in its strategic reserves, enough to last just over a month, as the southern African nation suffers the effects of a severe drought, according to the agriculture minister. More than half the country’s population faces food shortages after maize harvests halved last year. The […] Read more
Namibia looks to import cattle as drought decimates herds
Reading Time: < 1 minute Windhoek | Reuters — Namibian state-owned meat processing and marketing firm Meatco is in talks with neighbour Botswana to import cattle, as severe drought decimates local herds and threatens beef export deals with China and European countries. The southern African desert nation moved closer to famine last month after dam levels fell below 20 per […] Read more
Australia drought cuts IGC global wheat crop outlook
Reading Time: < 1 minute London | Reuters – The International Grains Council (IGC) on Thursday trimmed its forecast for global wheat production in the 2019/20 season as the outlook for Australia’s crop dimmed. In its monthly update, the inter-governmental body cut its global wheat production projection by 2 million tonnes to 762 million tonnes. The wheat crop in Australia […] Read more
South America fires could disrupt its farm belt’s rainfall
Reading Time: 2 minutes Santa Cruz | Reuters — Forest fires that swept across Bolivia and Brazil this year could disrupt rainfall distribution across South America’s grains-and-beef producing regions in unpredictable ways for years to come, a scientist and meteorologist said. Recent rains in both countries have helped put out the wildfires, which were likely started by farmers and […] Read more
Ample world malt barley supply to limit export prices
Reading Time: 2 minutes MarketsFarm — Canadian malt barley growers may be dealing with adverse harvest conditions that could lead to quality downgrades in some areas — while world supplies of the key beer ingredient remain more than sufficient to meet global demand. “There’s no real indication at this time that we’ll see a significant up move (in price),” […] Read more
RMs declare ag disaster in Manitoba’s Interlake
Reading Time: 2 minutes Twelve rural municipalities in Manitoba’s Interlake and WestLake regions have declared a state of agricultural disaster due to severe dry conditions. The RMs of Alonsa, Armstrong, Bifrost-Riverton, Coldwell, Ethelbert, Fisher, Grahamdale, Lakeshore, McCreary, Ste. Rose, West Interlake and Woodlands announced the motion in a news release Thursday. The municipalities are calling on the province to […] Read more
Pulse weekly outlook: Chickpeas appear OK, but prices soft
Reading Time: 2 minutes MarketsFarm — Canada’s chickpea crop has likely beaten earlier expectations — but poor prices may limit farmer sales come harvest. “We planted the crop in drought conditions” and were preparing for the worst, said Colin Young of Midwest Grain at Moose Jaw, Sask., pointing to the lack of subsoil moisture in key chickpea-growing regions of […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
