CBOT July 2020 soybeans with Bollinger (20,2) bands. (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Corn, soybeans slide on China tensions

Midwest weather poses risks for wheat

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn and soybean futures fell on Friday as escalating U.S.-China tensions over Beijing’s proposed restrictions on Hong Kong dampened markets after a week of gains. Three sources told Reuters China may reduce U.S. agricultural imports if Washington issues a severe response to Beijing’s push to impose national security laws on […] Read more

(Dave Bedard photo)

Union warns of fuel supply disruption in ‘Dear Farmers’ notice

Farmers 'should not be worried,' FCL says

Reading Time: 3 minutes The union representing locked-out workers at Regina’s Co-op Refinery Complex is warning Prairie farmers that a disruption of fuel supplies during seeding could be the “only option” it has in its labour dispute with Federated Co-operatives (FCL). Unifor 594, whose 730-odd members at the CRC were locked out Dec. 5 after serving 48 hours’ strike […] Read more


Precipitation across the Prairies over the two weeks ending April 8, 2020. (Map courtesy Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada)

Burnett on Markets: Weather woes span the Prairies

Reading Time: 2 minutes The weather during the last half of March provided some optimism about a normal start to spring. Farmers across the Prairies were preparing equipment, taking delivery of seed and fertilizer and looking forward to getting out into the field. Then the weather in early April dropped significant amounts of rain and snow across northern and […] Read more

ICE May 2020 canola with Bollinger (20,2) bands. (Barchart)

ICE weekly outlook: Canola market floating headline to headline

Reading Time: < 1 minute MarketsFarm — The ICE Futures canola market moved lower during the week ended Wednesday, but activity was choppy as futures reacted to broad swings in global financial markets. While the looming growing season should be starting to garner some attention, the COVID-19 pandemic “has grabbed all of the headlines and all of the oxygen out […] Read more


Migrant workers clean fields in California’s Salinas Valley on March 30, 2020. (Photo: Reuters/Shannon Stapleton)

Canadian, U.S. farms face crop losses on foreign worker delays

Reading Time: 2 minutes Winnipeg/Chicago | Reuters — Mandatory coronavirus quarantines of seasonal foreign workers in Canada could hurt that country’s fruit and vegetable output this year, and travel problems related to the pandemic could also leave U.S. farmers with fewer workers than usual. Foreign labour is critical to farm production in both countries, where domestic workers shun the […] Read more

A barley crop south of Ethelton, Sask. on July 30, 2019. (Dave Bedard photo)

Feed weekly outlook: Spring rally unlikely

Reading Time: < 1 minute MarketsFarm — Feed grain bids in Western Canada have held relatively steady over the past month despite large moves in many outside markets. However, a number of factors may weigh on values heading into the spring. Feed barley is trading in the $4-$4.95 per bushel area in Alberta, according to Prairie Ag Hotwire data. Prices […] Read more


File photo of a quality control check on fresh peppers in a Canadian vegetable packing plant. (Jeffbergen/E+Getty Images)

Temporary foreign workers to be allowed in, Canada reiterates

Reading Time: 2 minutes Ottawa | Reuters — Canada will allow temporary foreign workers with valid visas to enter the country, officials said on Friday, offering possible salvation to the agriculture industry even as Ottawa moves to limit the spread of a coronavirus outbreak. Canada’s labour-strapped farms rely heavily on nearly 60,000 temporary foreign workers (TFWs) to help plant […] Read more

(JohnnyMad/Getty Images)

Yellow mustard bids solid

Reading Time: < 1 minute MarketsFarm — Yellow mustard bids remain solid in Western Canada, which should encourage acres this spring. “Yellow mustard started firming up after harvest,” said Walter Dyck of Olds Products. Poor conditions and quality concerns in the fall provided some of the support at that time, with top end bids still holding around 40 cents/lb. Brown […] 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

Victoria Falls, on the Zambezi River on Zimbabwe’s northwestern border with Zambia. (CIA.gov)

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