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
Ukraine war already impacting food security, U.N. agency warns
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
Moscow retaliates against sanctions with export bans
Reading Time: < 1 minute Reuters — Russia sought on Thursday to retaliate against Western sanctions imposed over its invasion of Ukraine by banning exports of certain goods and agricultural commodities. Exporting telecom, medical, auto, agricultural, electrical and tech equipment, as well as some forestry products, will be banned until the end of 2022. “These measures are a logical response […] Read more
Italian ministry tells firms to source durum from Canada
Reading Time: < 1 minute Rome | Reuters — In the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Italian firms can source durum wheat from Canada, the Italian industry ministry said in a statement following meetings on Wednesday with various firms and associations. The statement added that alternative suppliers for clay, iron and sunflower seeds had not yet been found. Ukraine […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
