Soggy conditions have slowed harvest progress in much of Western Canada, as untimely showers have hampered crop quality and left combines standing still (or stuck). And the days when harvest equipment has been rolling have not been easy in many areas. It's a similar story in the futures markets, as bearish supplies are making it... Read More
Category: Markets
We’re halfway through the month of September and almost at the end of 3rd quarter of the calendar year, a point when we start to usually see lows priced into the market and the end of harvest in sight. A mostly bearish September W.A.S.D.E. report at the beginning of the week on Monday, the 12th,... Read More
With every bounce off of a new low in the cattle market, there's hope prices have finally bottomed out. October live cattle futures in the U.S. have recovered by $7-8 in the last week, after dropping to around the $100 mark in the first week of September. "Hopefully we can look back, and I know... Read More
Tight profit margins are leading many farms to hang on to equipment longer before trading it in. The major manufacturers have also slowed down production significantly, coinciding with the drop in demand for new iron. And all of this means there's less late model machinery hitting the market. "It's getting really hard to find a... Read More
Grains pushed through the first full week of September with a mix of bearish and bullish headlines, but mostly of the latter as a weaker U.S. Dollar, wet weather, and decent export numbers being supportive. Corn was the shining star for the week, up 3.5% in Chicago, mainly supported by ethanol being up more than... Read More
Grains continued to be pressured by the Harvest 2016 season and continuous benign weather in the U.S. that are keeping crop conditions and yield projections at elevated levels. Estimates on the U.S. corn crop ranges between 170 and 175 bu/ac, suggesting around a 15-billion-bushel crop, while soybean yield estimates are sitting between 48.5 and 50.5... Read More
A frustrating summer has come to a head over the last few weeks, as already-weak cattle prices are on a streak lower. Cash prices in the U.S. have fallen to $110 per hundred weight, notes Anne Wasko of Gateway Livestock. "That's the lowest they've been in five years, and that's five bucks off of last... Read More
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will be raising the subject of Canadian canola imports during his trip to China this week, according to the federal agriculture minister. Exports to Canada's largest canola seed customer are facing an uncertain future, as China plans to implement tighter import restrictions on September 1st. The 1 percent dockage standard would... Read More
The grain market was filled with lots of pictures this week, thanks to scouts testing Twitter’s ag photo limit by uploading shots of corn cobs as the annual Pro Farmer crop tour ran from Monday to Thursday. The tour showed numbers that came in about 5 full bushels below the U.S.D.A.’s current estimate on the... Read More
Anti-trade messages from both U.S. presidential candidates are undoubtedly troubling for the future of the Canadian economy, especially in export-oriented sectors like agriculture. "That to me would be the number one concern when we look over the next six months — what happens in the U.S. election and what happens afterwards," said Douglas Porter, chief... Read More