CBOT July 2021 corn (candlesticks) with MGEX, CBOT and K.C. July 2021 wheat (green, black and orange lines). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Corn, soy plunge on weather, broad commodities sell-off

CBOT wheat follows trend lower

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn and soybean futures fell sharply on Thursday, pressured by outlooks for rain and cooler temperatures in the Midwest crop belt, as well as spillover from broad-based selling in the commodities sector, analysts said. Wheat followed the weaker trend, with seasonal pressure noted from the U.S. winter wheat harvest. Chicago […] Read more


A DOT (now OmniPower) autonomous unit at work on the Olds College Smart Farm. (Olds College video screengrab via YouTube)

College farms, GFM Discovery Farm to get smarter together

Two Alberta colleges sign on for new CAAIN-backed network

Reading Time: 3 minutes A pair of Alberta college farms and Glacier FarmMedia’s Saskatchewan farm are the first to plug into a national network of “smart farms” to improve the ag sector’s smart technology experience. The Olds College Smart Farm will lead the Pan-Canadian Smart Farm Network, which will also include Glacier FarmMedia Discovery Farm at Langham, Sask. and […] Read more



Corn seedlings in southern Ontario. (Farmtario photo by John Greig)

CBOT weekly outlook: Weather market expected for rest of month

Reading Time: < 1 minute MarketsFarm — The weather is just one of the factors guiding futures values at the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT), according to Terry Reilly, grains analyst for Futures International in Chicago. As prices have fluctuated with hot and dry weather interrupted by rain, Reilly noted there’s more to the ebbs and flows than the latest […] Read more

File photo of a pea crop south of Ethelton, Sask. on Aug. 1, 2019. (Dave Bedard photo)

Pulse weekly outlook: Timely rains benefitting Saskatchewan crops

Reading Time: < 1 minute MarketsFarm — As with crops across the Prairies, pulses in Saskatchewan got a much timely shot in the arm with recent rainfall, according to Carl Potts, executive director of Saskatchewan Pulse Growers. “I think pulse crops have benefitted from the rains we’ve had over the last two or three weeks here in the province,” he […] Read more


CBOT July 2021 soybeans (candlesticks) with 20-day moving average (dark green line) and CBOT July 2021 corn (orange line, left column). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Corn, soy drop; soyoil limit-down

Spring wheat futures guide wheat markets lower

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn and soybean futures eased and soyoil futures plunged by their daily trading limit on Friday on concerns about demand for renewable fuel feedstocks after news the White House was considering offering fuel refiners relief from biofuel blending mandates. The Reuters report that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency was pondering […] Read more

ICE November 2021 canola (candlesticks) with Bollinger bands (20,2) and July 2021 canola (yellow open/high/low/close). (Barchart)

ICE weekly outlook: Canola market pits weather against supplies

Reading Time: 2 minutes MarketsFarm — As dry conditions remained prevalent across the Canadian Prairies and U.S. northern Plains, despite recent precipitation, the markets were in a struggle between the weather and tightening supplies, according to Winnipeg analyst Wayne Palmer of Exceed Grain. So far for the week of June 7, central and northern Alberta received rain, followed by […] Read more


CBOT July 2021 corn (candlesticks) with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages (yellow, orange and green lines). (Barchart)

CBOT weekly outlook: Wet weather pressures markets ahead of USDA report

Reading Time: < 1 minute MarketsFarm — After hot and dry weather sent corn and soybean prices climbing higher in early June, much-needed rains brought bids down at the Chicago Board of Trade on Wednesday. Weather accounted for “90 per cent” of the pricing influence, according to Sean Lusk, vice-president of the commercial hedging division for Walsh Trading in Chicago. […] Read more

Map from the Canadian Drought Monitor as of May 31, 2021. (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada)

Drought conditions improve in May for some of Prairies, not all

Reading Time: 2 minutes MarketsFarm — Significant precipitation through May relieved drought conditions across parts of the Prairies, while other areas remained significantly dry, according to the latest assessment from the Canadian Drought Monitor as of May 31. This precipitation improved soil moisture conditions for the short-term, decreasing the area of moderate (D1) and severe drought (D2) in central […] Read more