Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean and corn futures climbed to fresh 6-1/2 year highs on Wednesday, as worries about dry weather hurting Argentine crops attracted speculative buyers, analysts said. Wheat futures fell on a lack of fresh supportive news and an upturn in the dollar, which tends to make U.S. grains less competitive globally. […] Read more
U.S. grains: Corn tops US$5 for first time since 2014
'Water deficit' in Argentina draws interest
U.S. grains: Soybeans touch six-year high on Argentina strike, weather
Grains complex rebounds after stepping back on news of new coronavirus strain
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybeans climbed to six-year highs on Monday as weather and export troubles in Argentina outweighed concerns of a new coronavirus strain hitting Britain. Corn and wheat futures traded near even as soybeans supported the grains complex. Chicago Board of Trade most-active soybeans gained 23-1/2 cents to $12.47-1/2 per bushel, after […] Read more
Pulse industry watching container supply closely
One major container firm is shipping them back to Asia empty to meet a surge in demand
Reading Time: 2 minutes Pulse Canada is keeping an eye on container supplies following the recent announcement by a major supplier it would be shipping them back empty to Asia from North America to meet a surge in demand. Why it matters: Canadian pulse crop exporters rely on shipping containers to get their products to international customers. A lack […] Read more
CBOT weekly outlook: Markets prepare for Laura
Hurricane approaching U.S. Gulf Coast
Reading Time: < 1 minute MarketsFarm — Hurricane Laura, currently a Category 3 hurricane, is expected to hit the U.S. Gulf Coast late Wednesday or early Thursday but the Chicago Board of Trade is already feeling its effects. “It’s going to bring widespread rain and flooding to the Delta region, where unharvested rice, corn and soybean crops may feel a […] Read more
CN sees eastern network revival on supply chain diversity, ports
Reading Time: 2 minutes Montreal | Reuters — Canadian National Railway, the country’s biggest railroad, is banking on growth in consumer products and supply-chain diversification in Asia, to revive traffic on its underutilized eastern Canadian rail lines, the company’s CEO told Reuters Friday. Coronavirus, which hit China’s industrial production, along with U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods, are further leading […] Read more
Pulse weekly outlook: Increased demand seen, but problems loom
Reading Time: < 1 minute MarketsFarm — Unlike other commodities, pulses aren’t yet feeling ill effects from an economic downturn due to the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak, according to Marcos Mosnaim of Globeways Canada in Mississauga. With consumers panic-buying, there has been increased demand for pulses, as many are non-perishable, Mosnaim said. “These products will be there for ages,” he said, […] Read more
Argentine farmers strike to protest export tax hike
Reading Time: 2 minutes Buenos Aires | Reuters — Argentine farmers began a four-day sales strike on Monday to protest the government’s hike of export taxes for soybeans and their byproducts, though shipments were not impacted in the major global food exporter. Three of the South American country’s four main rural associations announced the strike last week in frustration […] Read more
Canada rules out sending police in on rail protests
Superior Propane expects supply shortages soon
Reading Time: 2 minutes Ottawa | Reuters — Canada’s Liberal government said on Friday it was deeply concerned about protests by aboriginal activists that are blocking some key railway lines but rejected a call to send in the police. Indigenous communities opposed to the construction of a gas pipeline project in British Columbia started interrupting rail traffic last week. […] Read more
CN strike drags on, hitting grain exports, fertilizer output
Reading Time: 3 minutes Ottawa/Montreal | Reuters — A prolonged strike at Canadian National Railway, the country’s largest railroad, sent further shocks through the economy on Monday with grain shipments scuttled and layoffs planned at fertilizer producers and an auto shipment terminal. As Canada’s biggest rail strike in a decade entered its seventh day, industry kept pressuring the government […] Read more
China to subsidize grain transportation, storage
Reading Time: < 1 minute Beijing | Reuters — China plans to subsidize grain transportation and storage facilities in the latest push by Beijing to modernize the world’s largest agriculture sector. Beijing will subsidize projects upgrading or building facilities to load and receive grains along main railways and ports for major waterways including the Yangtze and Pearl rivers, a document […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
