A Palestinian man and his children sort freshly picked olives on a farm during a temporary truce between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, on Nov. 28, 2023. (Photo: Reuters/Saleh Salem)

Delayed by war, Gaza’s olive harvest is too little, too late, say farmers

'The majority of the harvest was wasted'

Reading Time: 2 minutes Gaza | Reuters — Farmers in Gaza were taking advantage of the truce between Israel and Hamas to harvest what was left of their olives after weeks of fighting during which they dared not go to their lands for fear of getting killed. In a normal year the harvest would have started weeks earlier, but […] Read more

Toby checks out a southern Manitoba sunflower field in this file photo. (Glen Hallick photo)

Manitoba sunflower yields better than anticipated

Some crops may be left over winter

Reading Time: 2 minutes MarketsFarm — With most of Manitoba’s sunflower harvest believed to be almost complete for 2023, yields have proven to be better than expected, according to Dennis Lange at Manitoba Agriculture. “I’ve heard good comments from some in the industry that the sunflower crop looks pretty good this year,” Lange said, noting Manitoba yields were estimated […] Read more


CBOT January 2024 soybeans with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Chicago soybeans find two-month high

Wheat crop above expectations

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Chicago soybean futures on Monday hit their highest level in some eight weeks on weather concerns in top exporter Brazil and arid conditions in Argentina. Corn futures finished unchanged, while wheat rose slightly as weakness in the U.S. dollar added support to the markets. Traders monitored uneven crop weather in Brazil, […] Read more

ICE January 2024 canola with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

ICE weekly outlook: Canola pulling lower

Futures subject to 'financial gravity'

Reading Time: 2 minutes MarketsFarm — Canola futures on the Intercontinental Exchange kicked off the week of Oct. 23-27 with sharp losses, as the most heavily traded January contract busted through its support level of $700 per tonne. Among the reasons for canola’s steep fall, as David Derwin pointed out, were the better than average yields from this year’s […] Read more


A soybean field north of St. Adolphe, Man. on Sept. 17, 2023. (Dave Bedard photo)

CBOT weekly outlook: Seasonal harvest pressure weighs on soy, corn

Soyoil/meal spread worth watching

Reading Time: 2 minutes MarketsFarm — Soybean and corn futures at the Chicago Board of Trade may be hard pressed to move much higher in the short-term, as advancing harvest operations across the U.S. leave the market flush with supplies. However, solid underlying demand should remain supportive on the other side, according to an analyst. “Seasonal harvest pressure is […] Read more

CBOT December 2023 corn with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Corn dips on harvests, technical selling

CBOT soymeal climbs to seven-month high; Chinese ag companies sign U.S. purchase deals

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Board of Trade corn futures fell for a third straight session on Tuesday and neared a two-week low under pressure from U.S. harvesting and technical selling, analysts said. Wheat futures also eased, while soybeans and soymeal jumped. A quick harvest pace for U.S. corn and soy is expected to continue […] Read more


CBOT November 2023 soybeans with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Soybean, corn futures weaken as harvests progress

CBOT wheat rises on bargain buying

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Board of Trade soybean futures finished lower on Monday as advancing U.S. harvests uncovered strong yields and increased farmers’ sales of their crops, analysts said. Pressure from harvests also hung over corn futures. U.S. farmers have finished harvesting 76 per cent of the country’s soybeans and 59 per cent of […] Read more

ICE November 2023 canola with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

ICE weekly outlook: Canola looking for a spark

Recent declines in crude oil, diesel seen as bearish

Reading Time: < 1 minute MarketsFarm — The ICE Futures canola market hit its lowest levels in three months on the last trading day of September but has since uncovered some support in the first days of October. Canola “has found a level where it’s stabilized, but there’s not a lot of life right now,” said Ken Ball of PI […] Read more


File photo of black beans. (Nhattienphoto/iStock/Getty Images)

Pulse weekly outlook: ‘Average’ dry bean crop in Manitoba

Won't be close to last year's 'pretty phenomenal' crop

Reading Time: 2 minutes MarketsFarm — As Manitoba’s pulse harvest neared completion, a provincial pulse specialist says it will vary as to whether dry bean growers are satisfied with the result. Dennis Lange said that 96 per cent of Manitoba’s dry bean crop has already come off the field. In the central region, 97 per cent of its dry […] Read more

File photo of barley being loaded off the combine. (Collab Media/iStock/Getty Images)

Feed weekly outlook: Barley bids near bottom post-harvest

Feed corn values narrowing against barley

Reading Time: 2 minutes MarketsFarm — After a better-than-expected harvest across the Canadian Prairies, feed grain prices on the region either have bottomed out or soon will, according to Evan Peterson of JGL Commodities in Saskatoon. “They’ve dropped significantly in the past three to four weeks as harvest pressure kicked off,” he said, citing feed barley going into feedlot […] Read more