(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Feed weekly outlook: Weather buoys grain prices

Reading Time: < 1 minute MarketsFarm –– A dry spring on the Prairies, coupled with intensely wet weather south of the border, has frustrated producers and supported higher feed grain prices. Barley prices have rallied “quite strongly” due to dry weather observed across most of the Prairies, combined with tight supplies from previous years, said Nelson Neumann of Agfinity in […] Read more

CBOT July 2019 corn with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Soy futures extend rally

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures rose 1.6 per cent on Wednesday, hitting their highest since mid-April on support from concerns that planting delays in the U.S. Midwest will lead to a sharp cutback in acreage as well as harvest yields, traders said. The jump followed a U.S. Agriculture Department report after the market […] Read more


Precipitation percentiles on the Prairies for the period of April 1 to May 23, 2019. (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Drought Watch)

Prairie dryness concerns to persist

Reading Time: 2 minutes MarketsFarm — Large areas of Western Canada remain on the dry side, with little moisture in the immediate forecasts. And while it’s still early in the growing season, the interplay of conflicting patterns from the south and north will determine whether the dry areas receive timely precipitation during the growing season. “We are looking at […] Read more



(4loops/iStock/Getty Images)

Pulse weekly outlook: Planted green, yellow peas lower prices

Reading Time: < 1 minute MarketsFarm — Green and yellow pea seeding is well underway across the Prairies, causing new-crop prices to slide marginally while spot prices hold firm. As Dale McManus, a broker with Johnston Grain at Welwyn, Sask., explained, seeded acres and new crop prices have an inverse relationship: as seeded acres rise, new crop prices fall. Producers […] Read more

ICE July 2019 canola with Bollinger (20,2) bands, a gauge of market volatility. (Barchart)

ICE weekly outlook: Little for canola bids to stand on

Reading Time: 2 minutes MarketsFarm — There wasn’t much available to sustain a bounce in canola prices, from where David Derwin sits. “It’s really tough to say. We had canola drop so much over the last couple of months and sometimes it’s ‘buy the rumour, sell the fact,’” said Derwin, a commodities portfolio manager with PI Financial in Winnipeg. […] Read more


CBOT July 2019 soybeans with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Weak export data drags soybeans to new lows

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures posted contract lows for a fourth straight session on Thursday after weak U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) export sales data and amid ongoing concerns that rain-delayed corn sowing would increase soy plantings. Corn was mixed as spillover pressure from lower soybeans offset support stemming from concerns about delayed […] Read more

ICE July 2019 canola (candlestick) with CBOT July 2010 soybeans (line) for comparison. (Barchart)

ICE weekly outlook: Bearish funds keep canola pointed lower

Reading Time: < 1 minute MarketsFarm — ICE Futures canola prices fell to their lowest levels since 2014 during the week ended Wednesday, as bearish technical signals and a lack of progress on trade relations with China weighed on values. While a short-covering correction is possible, the underlying fundamentals also remain bearish. Speculators adding to their large net short positions […] Read more


Barley south of Ethelton, Sask. on Aug. 3, 2017. (Dave Bedard photo)

Feed weekly outlook: Western Canadian market stabilizing

Reading Time: < 1 minute MarketsFarm — Western Canadian feed grain prices have come under pressure over the last month, but appear to be stabilizing as attention turns to spring seeding across the Prairies. “We’ve been steadily dropping for the past few weeks, and it’s leveled out now,” said Tracey Green, grain broker with Market Master Ltd. in Edmonton. Buyers […] Read more

Barley south of Ethelton, Sask. on Aug. 3, 2017. (Dave Bedard photo)

Feed weekly outlook: Barley bids soften as attention turns to new crop

Reading Time: < 1 minute MarketsFarm — Feed barley bids in the key cattle feeding area of southern Alberta are coming under some pressure, as attention begins to turn to the new crop. “Demand is dropping off here a little bit,” said Allen Pirness of Market Place Commodities in Lethbridge. Feedlots have extended coverage through the spring and into the […] Read more