Reading Time: 2 minutes CNS Canada — The 2018 mustard crop in Western Canada could hit half a million acres according to an industry expert, but he cautions that number could be much lower if dry soil conditions persist until spring. In 2017, there were 385,000 acres of mustard seed planted in Western Canada, down from 525,000 acres in […] Read more
Prairie mustard acreage depends on spring moisture
Lentils back at square one heading into 2018
Reading Time: 2 minutes CNS Canada — Lentil prices in Western Canada have dropped significantly over the past year as India’s policy changes and militant actions elsewhere affected markets, according to traders. Green lentil prices in Western Canada lost anywhere from 20 to 36 cents per pound over the course of 2017, according to Prairie Ag Hotwire. Prices are […] Read more
Russia to boost grain transport subsidies in 2018
Reading Time: 2 minutes Moscow | Reuters — Russia will spend two billion roubles (C$43 million) in grain transportation subsidies to help to speed exports in 2018, the deputy agriculture minister said on Thursday. Already among the world’s largest wheat exporters, Russia is trying to step up a gear after this year’s record crop, which is keeping its grain […] Read more
U.S. grains: Soy nears US$10 a bushel ahead of holiday
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Chicago soybean futures approached a two-week high near US$10 a bushel Wednesday on technical buying ahead of the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday, analysts said. Additional support stemmed from worries that the La Nina weather phenomenon, expected to emerge next month, could stress soy and corn crops in South America. The La Nina […] Read more
U.S. grains: Wheat up as crop ratings, Russia news spur short-covering
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Chicago wheat futures rose on Tuesday as a decline in U.S. crop ratings and news of radioactive pollution in the Ural mountains triggered a round of short-covering and concern about wheat exports from Russia, the world’s top supplier. Corn and soybean futures closed little changed after a choppy session. Chicago Board […] Read more
Russia to restrict Brazilian pork, beef imports from Dec. 1
Reading Time: < 1 minute Moscow/Brasilia | Reuters – Russia will place temporary restrictions on imports of pork and beef products from Brazil from Dec. 1, the country’s agricultural safety watchdog Rosselkhoznadzor said on Monday. Russia said last week it was considering a ban on all pork and beef imports from Brazil after finding the feed additive ractopamine in some […] Read more
Lentil market quiet heading into new year
Reading Time: 2 minutes CNS Canada — Heading into the New Year, Canadian lentil markets will be quiet, according to an analyst. “It’s not exactly what farmers expected. They have had three years of very brisk intake and it will take a little bit of an adjustment to realize that the market is not coming to them as readily […] Read more
Russia’s (grain) strengths… and weaknesses
Reading Time: 2 minutes Strengths Russia is blessed with many advantages that strengthen its position as a wheat exporter: Russian wheat production is in close proximity to Egypt and Turkey — two of the world’s largest wheat importing markets. There is ample arable land — Russia possesses almost 10 per cent of the world’s arable land (122 m ha). […] Read more
Russia may ban Egyptian citrus amid wheat dispute
Reading Time: 2 minutes Moscow/Cairo | Reuters — Russia threatened to ban Egyptian citrus imports on Tuesday, a move that could escalate a trade dispute over exports of Russian wheat to the world’s largest importer of the grain. Moscow said this week it hopes to hold talks with Egypt, its top buyer, over Cairo’s failure to approve Russian wheat […] Read more
Russia muscling into rivals’ wheat markets
Reading Time: 3 minutes Moscow | Reuters — Russia is muscling in on the markets of its European and North American competitors as it overtakes the European Union to become the world’s biggest wheat exporter for the first time. Russia is expecting a record crop in the 2016-17 marketing season, which began on July 1, while EU harvests are […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
