Weed suppression activity at the soil level.

Organic no-till soybeans a challenge

An OSCIA project is using cereal rye as a cover crop weed suppressant

Reading Time: 6 minutes No one has ever said organic production is easy. It can be profitable, but just as in conventional row cropping, it’s subject to vagaries in price, weather, weed management and quality. But no-till organic? In soybeans? That’s an entirely different level of thought processing, planning, monitoring and showing flexibility in adjusting to growing season conditions. For […] Read more

One Canada Square (tower at centre) houses the London head office of the International Grains Council. (Iliffd/iStock/Getty Images)

World production seen up with more corn, soybeans

IGC holds wheat production estimate steady

Reading Time: 2 minutes MarketsFarm — As the International Grains Council (IGC) raised its estimate for total world grain production in 2023-24, its forecast on corn and soybeans were increased as well. Meanwhile, production estimates for wheat were held steady. The London-based IGC issued its latest supply and demand report on Thursday. World grain production was bumped up by […] Read more


“I honestly believe that if everything was perfect below ground, we’d be far above 100 bushels.” – Hugh Earl, University of Guelph.

Unlocking soybean yields

A three-year project is looking at whether the key is something other than agronomics

Reading Time: 5 minutes For most growers, yield isn’t just an important metric, it’s the only metric. Researchers and plant breeders have explored new methods to address diseases or pests, but these advances can have trouble gaining traction without translating to more bushels in the bin. Matt Rundle is trying to shift the focus on performance by examining more […] Read more

File photo of soybeans being loaded for transport in Argentina. (Wirestock/iStock/Getty Images)

Argentina soybeans expected to go from horrible to great

El Nino expected to improve growing conditions

Reading Time: 2 minutes MarketsFarm — While Argentina is headed to one of its worst soybean harvests in decades, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) attaché in Buenos Aires projects a huge turnaround in 2023-24. Argentina is the world’s third-largest grower of soybeans — a fair amount less than Brazil and the U.S., but a lot more than other […] Read more


Emerging corn plants in Canada. (Sophie-Caron/iStock/Getty Images)

CBOT weekly outlook: More acres expected for U.S. corn, soybeans, wheat

USDA acreage projections due out March 31

Reading Time: 2 minutes MarketsFarm — With expectations of far fewer prevent-planting acres for 2023-24, Terry Reilly of Futures International has called for increases in planted area for corn, soybeans and wheat in the U.S. this spring. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is scheduled to release its planting projections on March 31. Reilly pegged planted corn acres at […] Read more

Photo: Getty Images

China to buy more homegrown soybeans for reserves

State-owned firms urged to prioritize domestic soy

Reading Time: < 1 minute Beijing | Reuters — China will step up buying of domestic soybeans by state reserves to encourage farmers to keep planting the crop, the agriculture ministry said on Thursday, as Beijing continues to push for greater self-sufficiency in oilseed. China started to increase soybean planting a year ago amid worries about its heavy reliance on […] Read more


ICE May 2023 canola with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

ICE weekly outlook: No floor in sight for overdone canola

'A lot of money playing around in canola right now'

Reading Time: < 1 minute MarketsFarm — The ICE Futures canola market was in freefall mode through the first half of March, hitting its weakest levels in over a year. While the losses may be looking overdone, the bottom remains to be seen. “This has been a brutal drop in canola,” said Bruce Burnett, director of markets and weather with […] Read more

ICE May 2023 canola with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

ICE weekly outlook: Canola drifts downward with soybeans

Wheat's recent decline may spur canola acres

Reading Time: 2 minutes MarketsFarm — The ICE Futures canola market drifted downward during the week ended Wednesday largely due to macroeconomic activity in the markets, according to one analyst. Jerry Klassen from Resilient Commodity Analysis in Winnipeg said canola prices have mostly followed the lead of the Chicago soy complex, while rains fell on Brazil as its soybean […] Read more


A dried-out corn crop next to cotton planted into a dried-out cornfield at Tostado in Argentina’s northern Santa Fe province, on Feb. 8, 2023. (Photo: Reuters/Miguel Lo Bianco)

CBOT weekly outlook: It still comes down to South America

Continent's soy situation conflicting

Reading Time: 2 minutes MarketsFarm — Although the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is set to issue its next supply and demand estimates on March 8, what’s going on in South America continues to dominate the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT), according to Andrew Mages of Progressive Ag in Fargo, N.D. “Typically it’s not the most important report because […] Read more

ICE March 2023 canola with Bollinger bands (20,2). (Barchart)

ICE weekly outlook: Canola drifting lower

Near-record soy still expected from South America

Reading Time: < 1 minute MarketsFarm — ICE Futures canola contracts drifted lower during the week ended Wednesday, although values remained rangebound overall. “The market is maybe coming to the realization that we still have near-record South American (soybean) supplies on hand,” Ken Ball of PI Financial in Winnipeg said of the downtrend. While Argentina has suffered crop losses from […] Read more