An ammonia and nitrogen fertilizer plant in Russia. (Saoirse_2010/iStock/Getty Images)

Vilsack hopes fertilizer firms don’t take advantage of Ukraine crisis

Reading Time: 2 minutes Washington | Reuters — U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said Thursday he hoped fertilizer and agriculture supply companies affected by the Russian invasion of Ukraine would not take unfair advantage of the situation, amid already-high fertilizer and crop prices. Fertilizer costs have soared due to rising demand and lower supply as record natural gas and […] Read more

CBOT May 2022 wheat (candlesticks) with K.C. May 2022 wheat (yellow O/H/L/C) and MGEX May 2022 wheat (orange O/H/L/C). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Wheat, soybeans touch nine-year peaks

Concerns about disrupted Black Sea region exports lift markets

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat futures climbed to a more than nine-year peak on Wednesday and corn notched a fresh eight-month high as escalating Russia-Ukraine tensions threatened to disrupt supplies from the key Black Sea grain-exporting region. Soybean futures rallied to a 9-1/2 year peak as the conflict also put Black Sea sunflower oil […] Read more


(Dave Bedard photo)

Adjustments minor in latest AAFC crop balance sheets

Reading Time: 2 minutes MarketsFarm — Only minor adjustments to the old- and new-crop balance sheets were reported by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in their February supply/demand report, released Friday. New-crop production estimates were left unchanged for all of the major grains, oilseeds and pulses, with a return to average yields across the Prairies expected to lead to increased […] Read more

(Xinzheng/Getty Images)

China blocks Lithuanian beef, dairy, beer as Taiwan row grows

Canada seeks to join EU trade case against China

Reading Time: 2 minutes Beijing/Vilnius | Reuters — China suspended imports of beef, dairy and beer from Lithuania this week, Lithuania’s veterinary control agency said on Thursday, amid a growing trade dispute over the Baltic nation’s relations with Taiwan. China’s General Administration of Customs had informed the country it was halting the exports due to “lack of documentation,” the […] Read more


(Scott Bauer photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

High-path H5N1 avian flu hits Nova Scotia turkey farm

Trade curbs in place; U.S. also has an outbreak in Indiana

Reading Time: 3 minutes Updated, Feb. 10 — Highly pathogenic avian flu has again landed in domestic birds in Atlantic Canada — but this time on a commercial turkey farm, leading other countries to halt imports from Canada’s feather sectors for now. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency last week filed a report with the World Organization for Animal Health […] Read more

A drought-hit cornfield at Nao-Me-Toque in Brazil’s Rio Grande do Sul state on Jan. 9, 2022. (Photo: Reuters/Diego Vara)

CBOT weekly outlook: More adjustments expected after lacklustre USDA report

Reading Time: 2 minutes MarketsFarm — Updated supply/demand estimates from the U.S. Department of Agriculture on Wednesday included only minor revisions, with the lacklustre report doing little to move the market. While South American production numbers were revised lower, further downward revisions are likely in subsequent reports, according to a market analyst. “We were a little surprised the USDA […] Read more


File photo of a Prince Edward Island potato field. (Onepony/iStock/Getty Images)

P.E.I. potato exports cleared for Puerto Rico

U.S. territory has no commercial potato production

Reading Time: 3 minutes A U.S. territory with an appetite for Canadian potatoes and no commercial potato production to speak of will be able to resume imports of table stock potatoes from Prince Edward Island starting Wednesday. The resumption of exports to Puerto Rico, announced Tuesday, is a spot of good news for the province’s potato sector. Export certificates […] Read more

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

U.S. grains: Soybeans dip ahead of USDA report

Wheat underpinned by U.S. dryness

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Chicago soybean prices fell on Tuesday, a day after hitting an eight-month high, ahead of the U.S. Agriculture Department’s monthly global supply and demand assessment that is expected to downgrade South American crop production. Corn also eased, while wheat firmed, underpinned by ongoing dryness across the U.S. southern Plains. The Chicago […] Read more


CBOT March 2022 soybeans (candlesticks) with Bollinger bands (20,2). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: South American dryness lifts soybeans, corn

Wheat also up

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Chicago soybean futures on Monday rose to eight-month highs, underpinned by concerns over possible reduced supplies from weather-damaged South American harvests. Corn also climbed on South American dryness, while wheat followed higher. Markets are also positioning ahead of world grain and oilseed supply and demand forecasts from the U.S. Department of […] Read more

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Pork industry looks ahead from turbulent 2021

Pork prices expected to stay elevated in 2022

Reading Time: 2 minutes MarketsFarm — Labour shortages caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, high feed costs and lower prices posed constant threats to Canada’s hog industry in 2021. Nevertheless, pork appears to be in a good spot entering 2022, according to two analysts. “2021 was not the best, but not the worst,” said Tyler Fulton, director of risk management […] Read more