The Canadian Grain Commission (CGC) has modified some of its procedures for inspecting grain as it's loaded onto ships on the West Coast, as 65 per cent of the CGC's employees, including grain inspectors, are participating in the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) strike. "Inspection staff that are not in a strike position are... Read More
Category: Markets
Canadian farmers feel relatively stable and positive about their farms' current financial outlook, even in the face of declining commodity markets, according to the March Canadian Farmer Sentiment Index. Last month, the RealAgristudies Insights Panel was surveyed a fourth time since September 2022 on their opinions and overall sentiment on a number of critical agricultural... Read More
Even though many are looking at the futures market for '23 new crop prices, and there's a little more positivity across drought areas in terms of upcoming precipitation, "what's going in the mouths of cattle today is still old crop." So, as a result, we're going to have to wait until the back half of... Read More
Update, as of April 17: The Public Service Alliance of Canada announced a strike deadline on Monday morning. The union says more than 155,000 PSAC members, which includes staff with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and the Canadian Grain Commission, will begin strike action on Wednesday, April 19 if a deal cannot be reached by 9... Read More
The spring wheat market is no exception when it comes to how up in the air the commodity markets have been. Especially when you look at all the intended acres that are planned for the U.S. Chip Flory, of Agritalk, says a main reason for keeping eyes on the spring wheat market, is the terrible... Read More
After decades of debate among farmers and politicians, it took less than 15 months for the machinery of the federal government to dismantle — some might describe it as steamroll — the Canadian Wheat Board's single desk following the Conservative majority in the 2011 federal election. The behind-the-scenes of how former federal Agriculture Minister Gerry... Read More
When looking at the markets, farmers may feel like they are standing in quicksand, as the outlook uncertainty continues. Chip Flory, host of AgriTalk, joined RealAg Radio host Shaun Haney to discuss some of the hesitancy in the markets, and some of the more positive news that we've heard as of late, including the positive... Read More
It wasn't that long ago that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government announced it would return to balanced budgets once the pandemic spending was over. Last week's federal budget is the first real post-pandemic spending plan, and instead of a return to balance, the projected deficit sits at around $40 billion, with no clear indication of... Read More
The story for the last couple of weeks in the cattle markets has been the cash market, and how it is responding on both sides of the border. In both the U.S. and Canada, the cash market has been extremely positive, says Anne Wasko of the Gateway Livestock Exchange. In this week's episode of the... Read More
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has released its much anticipated Prospective Plantings report. Overall, there were no real surprises in the report. The corn planting average is up four per cent from 2022, and the soybean average is up slightly as well. As of early Friday, soybeans were keeping a bullish tone, with... Read More