Reading Time: 3 minutes Brasilia/Sao Paulo | Reuters — Amid growing international criticism over wildfires raging through the Amazon, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro on Thursday admitted farmers could be illegally setting the rainforest alight but told foreign powers not to interfere. French President Emmanuel Macron and United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres both took to Twitter to express their […] Read more
As Amazon burns, Bolsonaro tells rest of world not to interfere
U.S. grains: Corn edges higher on cool weather
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn futures inched higher on Thursday, stabilizing from three-month lows set a day earlier, supported by worries that cool weather could slow the maturity of the delayed U.S. crop, analysts said. Wheat rose on technical buying and better-than-expected weekly U.S. export sales. But soybean futures declined, retreating from early strength […] Read more
Pulse weekly outlook: India’s monsoons catch up, but crops still at risk
Reading Time: < 1 minute MarketsFarm — Heavy rains in recent weeks have brought India’s monsoon rainfall back to normal levels after a slow, dry start to the season, according to reports out of the country. However, flooding and uneven distribution of moisture could still hurt crop production. A normal monsoon is defined as 96-104 per cent of the 50-year […] Read more
Prairie hail claims pass 10,000 for year
Reading Time: < 1 minute MarketsFarm — More than 10,000 claims for hail damage have been filed by Prairie farmers so far in 2019 with insurance companies belonging to the Canadian Crop Hail Association. Between July 27 and Aug. 6, hail on the Prairies saw farmers add 900 claims alone, according to a CCHA press release Friday. To date overall, […] Read more
Winter wheat harvest varies by province
Reading Time: 2 minutes MarketsFarm — Depending where a farmer is located, Canada’s winter wheat crop has varied this year. Ontario has long been the country’s powerhouse for winter wheat. Statistics Canada projected the province’s farmers to seed just over one million acres this year, nearly 75 per cent of Canada’s total winter wheat acres. However, Marty Vermey, senior […] Read more
Saskatchewan canary seed crops may not recover
Reading Time: < 1 minute MarketsFarm –– Canary seed crop yields may be hampered by dry early summer conditions, and rain that didn’t come quite soon enough. Saskatchewan’s west-central region, home to the lion’s share of the province’s canary seed crops, received very little rain during the spring and early summer. “That area was beyond recovery when the rain finally […] Read more
Pulse weekly outlook: Alberta markets optimistic despite weather
Reading Time: < 1 minute MarketsFarm — Varied weather across Alberta has made for an unpredictable pulse harvest. “We’ve seen everything from drought-like conditions in the south, to an overabundance of water in the central region, and to some degree in the north as well,” said Leanne Fischbuch, executive director of Alberta Pulse. Despite less-than-favourable weather conditions, pulse producers are […] Read more
Prairies at risk of frosty harvest
Reading Time: 2 minutes MarketsFarm — Another dilemma is expected for the 2019 growing season: after a late start, western Canadian farmers could be challenged by an early end. Over the Aug. 10 weekend there were isolated reports of frost in some areas of the Peace region in northwestern Alberta. Other parts of the Prairies may be experiencing similar […] Read more
USDA’s August WASDE report hits commodity markets hard
Reading Time: 2 minutes MarketsFarm — With markets largely rangebound since the end of June, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released its long-awaited supply and demand report late Monday morning. The initial reaction on the markets was bearish, with corn prices being hit very hard, down 25 cents per bushel for the September and December contracts on the […] Read more
Pulse weekly outlook: Manitoba crops facing dry conditions
Reading Time: < 1 minute MarketsFarm — Varying dry conditions are set to take a toll on Manitoba’s pulse crops this year. Some crops have stunted due to dry conditions throughout the year, said Serena Klippenstein, production specialist with Manitoba Pulse and Soybean Growers. Overall, crop conditions are still dependent on the soil type and where they are in the […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
