After trading at a significant discount to soybeans last year, contrasting production scenarios have resulted in canola gaining value relative to soybeans over the last few months. "Historically canola futures have traded $80, sometimes even $100 higher than soybeans. Last year was exactly the opposite," explains Chuck Penner of LeftField Commodity Research. "What we're starting... Read More
Category: Markets
The results are in. Wet weather early in the growing season and again during harvest took a toll on the quality of this year’s crop in Western Canada. Mildew is the most common downgrading factor in spring wheat this year, reports Daryl Beswitherick, Manager of Quality Assurance and Reinspection with the Canadian Grain Commission. “Last... Read More
The organization representing major grain elevator companies in Western Canada says it believes both Canadian National Railway (CN) and Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) have failed to meet weekly grain shipping requirements for extended periods of time since the weekly minimum thresholds were implemented back in March. The federal agriculture minister confirmed last week that the... Read More
Grain prices are in that seasonal rut thanks to #harvest14 selling pressure and favourable planting conditions as South America starts its seeding season. On the speculation side, hedge funds are starting to increase their optimism that grain and oilseed prices will begin to rise. That being said, in the last four decades, an ounce of... Read More
Staff at Cargill crop input retail sites in Manitoba are letting customers know that the company will no longer sell anhydrous ammonia (NH3) fertilizer after next spring. Due to its hazardous nature and the strict regulations surrounding the handling of NH3, it's become harder to find reliable transportation, says the company. "Our decision was based... Read More
There's never a shortage of things to talk about when it comes to Canadian agriculture. As part of "This Week on Real Ag," Kelvin touches on harvest progress, cattle herd expansion, General Mills shareholders vote against banning GMO ingredients, confusion about rail penalties and buying fertilizer for next year, among other things. Get caught up... Read More
With a challenging harvest underway, it's probably not be a high priority, but now could be the time to lock in prices for some of next year's nitrogen fertilizer. Lower crop prices will place an extra emphasis on managing input costs for the 2015 crop, notes Mike Jubinville, president and senior analyst with ProFarmer Canada,... Read More
Fast times are upon us in the North American beef industry. Feed is cheap, calves are in short supply, and credit is a hot commodity. Today Anne Wasko and Shaun focus on the calf market. In particular the rate at which Canadian ranchers are not retaining heifers. As Anne will share with you, the US... Read More
Heading past the halfway point of September, the pace of the North American harvest picked up with excellent weather allowing crops to dry out from late growing-season rains. That being said, the quality of the crop coming off is quite variable with reports of fields next to each other swaying a few grades one way... Read More
With no major production challenges anywhere in the world, grain and oilseed prices have fallen to levels we haven’t seen since 2010. So how low can they go? That’s the question Frayne Olson, crops economist and marketing specialist at North Dakota State University, tries to answer in the interview below. Looking at historical charts for... Read More