Since the middle of August, the corn market has experienced a bit of a holding pattern, with trade sticking mostly sideways. Joe Vaclavik, founder and president of Standard Grain, says a big part of what is playing into this pattern is the uncertainty surrounding the size of the crop in the U.S. “I think there’s… Read More
Nitrogen has been a hot topic, not only in Canada when it comes to emissions reductions, but worldwide as Europe faces steep increases on natural gas prices, which may have crop rotations shifting in the coming years for those producers, creating a domino effect for North American growers. In Europe, they’ve see a 3600 per… Read More
When looking at the overall picture, protein markets have battled the last while, amid rising costs, plant closures and export hiccups. But retail prices have also climbed, with consumer demand keeping pace here at home. For the hog industry, the result has meant a return to decent margins, but trouble could be brewing on the… Read More
Jon Driedger of LeftField Commodity Research recently took a tour across Western Canada with LeftField Commodity Research and Argus Media to analyze the yield potential of the Prairie crop. Like any year, there are extremely variable pockets, but Driedger says for the most part, yields are looking average. The summary for cereals — with the exception… Read More
The path of least resistance right now for these grain markets seems to be to the downside. That has more than a few analysts shaking their heads, and maybe going a little gray from all the volatility and the stress. Chip Flory, host of AgriTalk, says that there’s all sorts of wild things happening —… Read More
As you look at growing conditions across the Prairies, it’s extremely variable . Too hot, too dry, too wet, too cool — the conditions range, which makes looking at production numbers a bit tricky. Chuck Penner, of LeftField Commodities Research says although there are a lot of big question marks, overall, production seems to be… Read More
Commodity prices this spring has made watching the markets an exciting part of nearly every day, especially for farmers who are anticipating a satisfactory yield and who are biding their time locking in prices. However, with many volatile factors contributing to those prices, experts are saying to weigh options carefully and take assurances where you… Read More
The U.S. cattle market was steady again this week, continuing to chop, chop, chop sideways, with cut out prices climbing slightly, though still at sluggish pace. Here in Canada, the average weekly price is in the low 170s, and, according to Canfax, that’s the first time since 2017 the weekly average has held in this… Read More
Happy Wednesday, all! It’s time for another episode of RealAg Radio, sponsored today by MNP. Shaun Haney is back in the host seat as well — so buckle up, it’s going to be a good show. You’ll hear: Kody Blois, Liberal member of parliament for King-Hants in Nova Scotia, and chair of the Parliamentary Standing… Read More
It’s no surprise that many cattle feeders are still facing negative margins. The combination of negative margins and a basis wider than we would like to see have created a question for many, says Anne Wasko of the Gateway Livestock Exchange. From the producers’ perspective, what do we need to do to make this basis… Read More
Supply chain issues continue to cause disturbances as the U.S. IP soybean market has product but is finding it increasingly difficult to secure transportation to export to the countries with the highest demand. As Canadian producers are working to fulfill contracts around the world, producers south of the border are looking to do the same… Read More
Drought, offshore import shortages, and labour disruptions are among several factors CN Rail is juggling as the railway continues to work in overdrive to ensure products and commodities get to where they need to be. Many people likely think of trains running westbound bringing goods to the coast, however in recent times, where it seems… Read More
It’s not easy to get a handle from an economic perspective on what some of the outcomes and the impacts are of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. It’s already caused inflationary pressure, as Russia becomes cut off from the rest of the world, but as Kevin McNew, chief economist at Farmers Business Network (FBN), explains,… Read More
The electrical current that makes the global supply chain run is reliability and predictability. If ever someone had “unplugged” that current, it’s now. Mike Steenhoek, executive director of the Soybean Transportation Coalition, says that the past few weeks and few years have been a real eye-opener for some, that what happens half-way across the globe… Read More
In the near term, at least, all bets are off as to just how high fertilizer prices might climb. “We already had situation where last fall, China had stepped out and said ‘no more exports of fertilizer, phosphate and nitrogen.’ That was bad. Now all of a sudden we are talking about removing Russia. That… Read More
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