Reading Time: 2 minutes CNS Canada — As organic producers look to clean out the 2017 crop from their bins before seeding, they’re finding lower prices than they’re willing to sell for. Contracts have been filled up, meaning some producers who were waiting for higher prices are out of luck with no options to sell their crops. Some buyers […] Read more
Downturn seen in organic markets for malt barley, hemp
FCC sees benefits in new Trans-Pacific trade pact
Reading Time: 2 minutes CNS Canada — The future of trade for the Canadian agriculture industry is looking bright from the perspective of Canada’s federal ag lending agency, with progress on the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). According to Farm Credit Canada (FCC), anytime Canada can get less-restricted access to markets it is good for agriculture. “We can […] Read more
OPEC announcement could boost ag markets, maybe
Reading Time: 2 minutes CNS Canada — The bearish malaise that has gripped the North American agricultural market shows no sign of breaking soon, and it could take a major disruption, say such as a hike in oil prices, to lead the way higher, according to some industry watchers. “Let’s say we go to US$55 (per barrel). That would […] Read more
Loonie tanks post-Brexit, but benefits minimal for farmers
Reading Time: 2 minutes CNS Canada — The Canadian dollar slipped after Britain voted Thursday to leave the European Union, a trend which one financial analyst expects to continue in an otherwise uncertain environment. But the loonie hasn’t fallen far enough to bring support to Canadian commodity markets. “Short-term, we’re going to be dealing with the day-to-day volatility and […] Read more
Could we see a Lehman Brothers-style collapse in grain markets?
There's a big difference to market noise and market reality. We ask Errol Anderson, is it all just talk?
Reading Time: 6 minutes At the heart of the issue is something known as a letter of credit, or LOC. These are essentially promissory notes that are backed by a financial institution with credibility, and their purpose is to ensure the money is there. Now there’s a question hanging over global commodity markets in the form of the Anglo-Swiss […] Read more
The soybean market challenge
As the world stumbles into 2015, the job for soybean producers is to figure out where to look for market rallies
Reading Time: 5 minutes Soybeans are often called the great liars, a reputation they get because sometimes the crop looks tremendous in the field, but then fails to yield as much as expected. On the other hand, the yield is sometimes very surprising compared to how poor a soybean stand might look. It’s for this reason that soybeans can […] Read more
Grain ‘trade’ at risk of low-balling U.S. soybean yields: Maguire
Reading Time: 3 minutes Chicago / Reuters – At 47.1 bushels an acre, last month’s soybean yield estimate from the U.S. Department of Agriculture was a new all-time high. And the average trader estimate for the USDA’s November projection is higher still, at 47.608 bushels. Even so, the long-term relationship between corn and soybeans suggests current soybean yields remain relatively […] Read more
Are you marketing, or speculating?
University of Minnesota’s online Commodity Challenge can be a great place to improve your marketing skills
Reading Time: 4 minutes This year’s drop in grain prices, together with many producers’ inability in the West to deliver contracted grain, has left farmers scrambling to maximize revenues and even to generate some cash flow from last year’s production. Many seem to be jumping into new marketing strategies. But first, they should ask themselves, their grain buyers, their marketing advisers, and their commodity brokers (if they […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
