Reading Time: 2 minutes MarketsFarm — The decision by the U.S. to halt the import of Russian petroleum products due to the country’s invasion of Ukraine created sticker shock at the pumps in North America — but an end to that invasion would not necessarily mean an end to high fuel prices. On March 15, the average price of […] Read more
Fuel prices may remain high beyond Russian invasion, expert says
Nutrien to produce ‘most potash ever’ in 2022
Company to ramp up production in response to Ukraine conflict
Reading Time: 2 minutes The world’s biggest potash-producing company is set to produce more potash in 2022 due to “uncertainty of potash supply” coming out of Eastern Europe. Saskatoon-based Nutrien, which has an estimated 20 million tonnes of potash-mining capacity across six mines in Saskatchewan, said Wednesday it plans to boost its output for 2022 to 15 million tonnes, […] Read more
Ukraine war already impacting food security, U.N. agency warns
Reading Time: < 1 minute London | Reuters — The war in Ukraine is already resulting in rising food prices and a shortage of staple crops in parts of central Asia, the Middle East and north Africa, the United Nations International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) said on Thursday. The Russian invasion of Ukraine last month has severely curtailed shipments […] Read more
Farming behind the lines in Ukraine
A Ukrainian agriculture journalist chronicles the challenges of sowing a crop during wartime
Reading Time: 5 minutes Ukrainians will farm their land, even in the face of war. In the Kherson area of southern Ukraine, where war rages and the city of Kherson is seen by the Russian invaders as strategic, a column set out on Monday. This was a column of tractors, under the flag of Ukraine. In it were farmers […] Read more
CBOT weekly outlook: Corn, wheat undergo major corrections
Reading Time: < 1 minute MarketsFarm — Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has done little to stabilize corn and wheat markets on the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) for the week ended Wednesday. After high price spikes during the previous week, peace talks between the two nations and very few signs pointing toward escalation or resolution have brought on a recent […] Read more
CF Industries boosts U.S. fertilizer shipments as Russian exports cut
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — CF Industries is increasing fertilizer shipments to both U.S. coasts from the world’s largest nitrogen complex in Louisiana to help offset a decline in exports from Russia after it invaded Ukraine, CEO Tony Will said. Global fertilizer supplies have tightened and prices have increased from already high levels as sanctions bite […] Read more
U.S. grains: Corn eases on Ukraine ceasefire talks
Argentina restricts soymeal, soyoil exports
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Chicago corn fell on Monday, pressured by uncertainty in the Black Sea region as talks of a ceasefire in Ukraine could open up the region to exports, though progress remains uncertain. Wheat eased early in the session, but returned to near even on news that Russia is suspending exports to protect […] Read more
USDA opens inquiry into fertilizer, seed prices
Reading Time: < 1 minute Reuters — The U.S. Department of Agriculture is opening an inquiry into the impacts of concentration in the fertilizer, seed and retail markets. The inquiry stems from the Biden administration’s July 2021 executive order to promote competition across the U.S. economy, the agency said in a release Friday. Global supply chain problems and inflation have […] Read more
U.S. grains: Wheat, corn up; soy down
'Panic... seems to have subsided a bit'
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat futures rose on Friday after posting sharp declines in the previous two sessions as traders assessed the latest developments in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine that has disrupted grain shipments. Trading in wheat remained volatile as market participants wrestled with the possible extent of disruption of wheat from Ukraine and […] Read more
Bread and war: Farmers in the fight for Ukraine
Agriculture, being the most important industry in Ukraine, will play a large part in the war, a Ukrainian ag journalist writes
Reading Time: 5 minutes It is very difficult to explain what a person feels when they’re awakened at 5 a.m., when a rocket explodes near their house. That’s exactly what I experienced Feb. 24. The first thing I did was fill my car with gasoline. Then we bought a lot of products we thought we might need — medicines […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
