Green lentils. (Savany/iStock/Getty Images)

Pulse weekly outlook: Markets steady heading into holidays

Reading Time: < 1 minute MarketsFarm — Pea and lentil markets in Western Canada are holding relatively steady heading into the holiday season, with little movement expected one way or the other until the New Year. “That’s normal for this time of year,” said Dale McManus of Johnston’s Grain at Welwyn, Sask. on the lack of activity and stagnant prices. […] Read more

ICE January 2021 canola (candlesticks) with 20-day moving average (yellow line) and CBOT January 2021 soyoil (green line). (Barchart)

ICE weekly outlook: Canola holds over $600

Reading Time: < 1 minute MarketsFarm — ICE Futures canola contracts were stronger Wednesday, hitting multi-year highs for three consecutive days. The nearby January contract closed at $602.90 per tonne on Wednesday, gaining nearly $10 since Friday’s close of $593.60. Ken Ball of PI Financial in Winnipeg said canola is expected to go higher in order to “kill off some […] Read more


A farmer prays to mark the 551st birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev, the first Sikh Guru and founder of Sikh faith, at Singhu border near Delhi on Nov. 30, 2020, at the site of a protest against newly passed farm bills. (Photo: Reuters/Danish Siddiqui)

India considers changing new farm laws after mass protests

Reading Time: 2 minutes New Delihi | Reuters — India’s government is considering rolling back some parts of its agricultural reforms after they triggered the biggest protests by farmers in years, officials said on Friday. Tens of thousands of farmers were out on the streets around Delhi again on Friday, rallying against three laws that the government says are […] Read more

ICE January 2021 canola with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

ICE weekly outlook: Two reports likely to increase canola values

Reading Time: 2 minutes MarketsFarm — Although canola has seen some backpedalling this week, the markets should get two good shots in the arm from a pair of reports, according to Wayne Palmer, analyst with Exceed Grains in Winnipeg. The first will very likely come from the principal field crops report , to be released Thursday by Statistics Canada. […] Read more


(iStock photo)

Pulse weekly outlook: Canada’s exports solid through first quarter

Reading Time: < 1 minute MarketsFarm — Canadian pulse exports were leaving at the country at a solid pace through the first three months of the 2020-21 marketing year, according to the latest Canadian Grain Commission (CGC) monthly data. Canada exported 343,000 tonnes of peas in October, taking the 2020-21 year-to-date total to 1.136 million tonnes. That’s up by about […] Read more

File photo of lentils being moved into bins in Saskatchewan. (Bobloblaw/iStock/Getty Images)

Pulse weekly outlook: Lentil prices hit December lull

Reading Time: < 1 minute MarketsFarm — After a year that has seen lentil prices climb by between seven and 13 cents/lb., they have stalled and pulled back a little bit, according to Allan Johnston of Johnston Grains at Welwyn, Sask. “The market is not very friendly,” Johnston said, noting dry pea prices have receded as well. “Lentil prices are […] Read more



(Dave Bedard photo)

U.S. puts duties on phosphate from Morocco, Russia

Reading Time: 2 minutes Reuters — The U.S. Department of Commerce said Tuesday it would set preliminary duties on phosphate fertilizer imports from Russia and Morocco, after launching an investigation to determine if producers in these countries were receiving unfair subsidies. The department set preliminary duties of 23.46 per cent on imports from Morocco’s OCP Group and other producers […] Read more


(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Feed weekly outlook: Export demand supports grain prices

Reading Time: < 1 minute MarketsFarm — There continues to be a very strong demand for feed grains with large amounts headed for export, according to Saskatoon-based trader Evan Peterson of JGL Commodities. “It’s driven the prices up and made a massive competition between feed for Alberta versus shipping it overseas,” Peterson said, noting China has been the main driver […] Read more

Onions are sold at a market at Dharavi, one of Asia’s largest slums, in Mumbai, India on April 7, 2020. (File photo: Reuters/Francis Mascarenhas)

High food prices hurting India’s poor

Inflation pain expected to persist for months yet

Reading Time: 2 minutes New Delhi | Reuters — India’s retail inflation may stay elevated for at least three more months after hitting a six-year high in October, as excess rain has damaged standing crops and seedlings, while edible oils that the country imports have become expensive. The high prices are a particular cause of concern for India’s hundreds […] Read more