The weakest prices in over three years, combined with prospects of another drought, are expected to put a dent in canola acres as cropping decisions for 2024 are finalized. Unfortunately for those on the selling side, grain and oilseed markets have been posting losses like the Ottawa Senators or Columbus Blue Jackets rather than Jonathon... Read More
Category: Markets
Following a scheduled five-year review of the Certified Sustainable Beef Framework, the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (CRSB) has announced a few changes and updates to the program. The Certified Sustainable Beef Framework is a voluntary, outcome-based certification program for beef sustainability in Canada. It was developed by the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef in... Read More
The union representing 384 employees at Viterra's grain elevators in Saskatchewan and another 65 staff at the company's office in Regina has suspended previously-announced strike action pending a vote on a revised offer from the company. Viterra updated its offer to members of the Grain and General Services Union (GSU) Locals 1 and 2 on... Read More
The Bank of Canada considers several economic factors each month as it decides on what to do with the overnight rate. The overnight rate has risen from 0.5% in March of 2022 to 5% by mid-2023, however the BoC has held firm on the rate for a few months now. Expectations are for a decrease... Read More
The first three months of the calendar year aren't historically much to write home about for the cattle markets, and this first week of January 2024 is living up to the ho-hum expectation. There's still plenty to be watching, however, and Anne Wasko of Gateway Livestock Exchange says that ample supplies of beef are definitely... Read More
Every market functions under supply and demand. To varying degrees, as demand increases, so do prices — if supply stays the same. If supply stays the same or grows but demand drops off, prices fall. It's a simplified explanation and in the real world several factors play into the total demand, total supply, and the... Read More
The market doesn't care about your feelings. It's a hard truth but a good one to remember when hesitating on pricing some crop or booking inputs. Why? Well, as Brian Voth of IntelliFarm explains, farmers can be comfortable paying higher prices for fertilizer to ensure they have it on-farm, but hesitate to lock in a... Read More
It's not quite hitting the Canadian grain shipping corridors yet, but global issues with two canals and one border could have large impacts on world grain and product supplies. Let's start in the Suez Canal. While not the highest ranking for grain movement, any disruption to a major shipping route has trickle-down effects on others.... Read More
Cattle are still bought, sold, and processed over the holiday season, but it's typically a quieter time for bids and prices. Still, there's plenty to talk about as we head towards the twilight zone of the week between Christmas and New Year's Day. In this earlier-than-usual edition of the Beef Market Update, Shaun Haney and... Read More
The union representing employees who work at Viterra's elevators in Saskatchewan and at the grain company's head office in Regina is planning to make a decision in early January on whether to move ahead with strike action. Members of the Grain and General Services Union (GSU) Local 1 (Viterra Country Operations and Maintenance) and Local... Read More