The Canadian Grain Commission announced today that it is starting consultations on whether it should license feed mills and extend payment protection to farmers who sell grain to feed mills in Western Canada. Producer organizations have been asking the CGC to consider expanding its payment security program to non-licensed buyers after two of Canada's largest... Read More
Category: Markets
Grain prices started the month of February looking to come out of the gate running – mainly from their January shadow (much like the groundhog did, but you probably don’t need a rodent to tell you if winter’s over or not if you live in Canada). Most of North American’s major growing regions are starting... Read More
There are signs the long-running dispute over U.S. mandatory country of origin labelling (COOL) rules for meat is moving closer to resolution, as a Canadian delegation led by Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz visited Washington, DC. this week. “COOL is on life support,” Ritz told reporters on a conference call on Thursday afternoon. In what was... Read More
Grain and oilseed markets showed little reaction to the latest stocks estimates from Statistics Canada released on Wednesday. The agency’s December 31st, 2014 stocks numbers were generally in line with trade expectations, with all-wheat pegged at 24.8 million tonnes and canola at 11.1 million (see all the numbers here.) Traders were expecting 25 million tonnes... Read More
Despite the tumble in wheat futures over the last month, there are still reasons for growers to be optimistic about where wheat prices are headed, according to the president of LeftField Commodity Research. Chuck Penner shares his take on what’s happening in the grain markets in this video filmed at FarmTech in Edmonton. “I’m friendliest... Read More
Grain markets ended the month of January well below where they started, despite volatile currencies, weather, and geo-political risk keeping prices off the lows. Managed money continue to drop their net long positions in the agricultural complex recently to its lowest levels since October, mainly thanks to the strength of the U.S. dollar. Investors in... Read More
The Alberta Wheat Commission (AWC) has teamed up with FARMCo, a grain marketing consulting firm, to head up a large-scale project designed to “improve farmers’ ability to make well-informed marketing decisions and maximize the value of their crops.” The Crop Data and Price Reporting project will lead to the development of a web-based tool that... Read More
Grain prices continued to slide on the futures boards through the middle of January as the complex continues to sort through supply and demand tables (the former, supply, being more plentiful at this point in time). Mostly, grain markets are feeling the effects of a strong U.S. dollar, while other currencies are suffering due to... Read More
On Monday, January 12th, the USDA released its January installment of the WASDE repor. Heading into the report, most analysts were bearish, and the report ended up showing some increased corn demand compared to the December report, which is why corn was the only grain that was green/higher by the end of the day. Specifically,... Read More
If the first two weeks of 2015 are any indication for the rest of the year, volatility in cattle markets is the name of the game. From steep drops to quick run-ups yet again, the U.S. cash market and the wholesale side has already shown some real movement. The big questions for cattle producers and... Read More