Reading Time: 2 minutes MarketsFarm — Cool and wet conditions delaying harvest operations across North America’s durum-growing regions are cutting into the quality of the crop in both the U.S. and Canada, with widening price spreads likely going forward. “It’s been a challenging harvest,” said Erica Olson, marketing specialist with the North Dakota Wheat Commission. “We did have some […] Read more
Late North American durum faces quality downgrades
Klassen: Adverse weather tempers feeder market
Reading Time: 2 minutes Compared to last week, western Canadian feeder cattle markets traded $3-$5 lower. Excessive snow in Alberta and ongoing rains across Manitoba and Saskatchewan set a negative tone. The market appeared to incorporate a risk discount, although many auction barns had limited numbers on offer. Buyers once again focused on local cattle and avoided transportation over […] Read more
ICE weekly outlook: Upside limited for canola’s snow boost
Reading Time: < 1 minute MarketsFarm — An unwelcomed early winter storm sent ICE Futures canola contracts higher during the week ended Wednesday, but it will take outside support to sustain a rally, according to industry participants. Snow in Alberta and Saskatchewan and cool and wet conditions in Manitoba slowed harvest operations during the week, with about 60 per cent […] Read more
Late Canadian mustard crop facing quality downgrades
Reading Time: 2 minutes MarketsFarm — An early blast of snow and cold across the Prairies has delayed harvest operations for a mustard crop already running behind normal, with quality downgrades expected for any mustard still in the field. “It has to be absolutely flattened,” said mustard buyer Walter Dyck of Olds Products at Lethbridge on the effect of […] Read more
Snow to stall harvests for western Prairies, Montana
Reading Time: < 1 minute Chicago | Reuters — A weekend storm is poised to bring more than a foot (30.5 cm) of snow to parts of Montana and the Canadian Prairies, putting portions of the region’s spring wheat and canola crops at risk, a meteorologist said. Excessively wet conditions in the region this month have already slowed fieldwork and […] Read more
Last of trace-out quarantines lifted in bovine TB probe
Reading Time: 2 minutes The last of 38 cattle herds to be checked for bovine tuberculosis in a federal trace-out investigation across three provinces has been released from movement controls. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency on Monday reported that a central Saskatchewan herd has now been released from controls which were imposed in December last year. CFIA said in […] Read more
Wet harvests hurt U.S., Canadian spring wheat quality
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Excessively wet conditions in the northern U.S. Plains and Canadian Prairies have hurt the quality of the region’s spring and durum wheat crops, potentially tightening supplies of top grades of the grains, handlers and agronomists said. Rains and heavy dew have slowed the harvest and, worse, caused mature, un-harvested wheat kernels […] Read more
Pulse weekly outlook: Pea harvest nearly complete
Reading Time: < 1 minute MarketsFarm — Canada’s pea crop is almost totally off the fields, but quality remains a question. “Farmers are wrapped up with harvesting right now, so we haven’t received many samples,” said Marcos Mosnaim of Globeways Inc. in Missisauga. The few samples the company has seen have shown good conditions, but it’s not a large enough […] Read more
Pulse weekly outlook: Harvest weighs on Saskatchewan bids
Reading Time: < 1 minute MarketsFarm — Seasonal harvest pressure may be weighing on pea and lentil bids in Western Canada — but rain delays could lead to quality premiums down the road. Large green lentils delivered to the plant are currently trading at around 20 cents/lb. at the high end, with red lentils topping out at 16 cents/lb. delivered, […] Read more
Pulse weekly outlook: Chickpeas appear OK, but prices soft
Reading Time: 2 minutes MarketsFarm — Canada’s chickpea crop has likely beaten earlier expectations — but poor prices may limit farmer sales come harvest. “We planted the crop in drought conditions” and were preparing for the worst, said Colin Young of Midwest Grain at Moose Jaw, Sask., pointing to the lack of subsoil moisture in key chickpea-growing regions of […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
