The impact of dry conditions across the southern prairies is evident in Statistics Canada’s first report on 2018 crop production. Canola and spring wheat futures were higher following the report’s release on Friday morning. Most of the production and yield figures came in on the lower end of the range of pre-report estimates. The report was… Read more »
Category: Markets
Usual or Unusual Grain Markets? — This week in the grain markets
Grain markets all pulled back this week on some bigger yield reports in the U.S. corn and soybean belt, while wheat markets took a breather from their bullish run. The U.S. corn crop is certainly advanced, with 44 per cent of fields dented as of last Monday. For perspective, going into the Week 34 USDA crop progress… Read more »
Beef Market Update: A lot of mouths to feed
You might be forgiven for thinking that every fall is the same when it comes to cattle leaving the summer range and heading off to the auction ring. Every fall is different and every fall farmers study the markets to see how they can best react to what they see coming up. Anne Wasko, market… Read more »
What to watch for as the U.S. announces trade aid details
The U.S. government will announce details of its planned US$12 billion trade aid package for the agriculture sector on Monday, according to Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue. The package, which was first announced in July, will include direct payments to producers to offset the impact of tariffs on U.S. exports. Sources told Agri-Pulse that the preliminary proposal… Read more »
Wheat on an island in the grain market, as early harvest reports come in
Spring wheat yield and protein reports are starting to come in as combines are rolling across the prairies. All spring and summer the reports from the field have been about variability. This continues into harvest, says Dwight Nichol of DLN AgVentures at Gravelbourg, Sask: “It’s variable. It’s the same here as it is across the… Read more »
Grain markets gain on trade talks — This week in the grain markets
Grain markets crossed the mid-point of August on the good news that the United States government has set meetings with China to discuss concessions and ways to mitigate the ongoing trade problems that have hammered grain prices. We have to be rational with our expectations, but there is some optimism that geopolitical banter will be for the better…. Read more »
Beef Market Update: Anticipating an early fall run
Excessive heat has taken its toll on pastures, hay supplies, and water consumption for cattle, and while this may not be a big market issue today, Anne Wasko, of Gateway Livestock, says that these factors will mean an earlier, stronger fall run. That’s just one of the topics discussed in this week’s Beef Market Update…. Read more »
Soybean yield surprise sends futures sliding — USDA report highlights
Soybean futures took a 42-cent tumble on Friday after the USDA surprised the market with a 51.6 bushel/acre yield estimate for the U.S. crop — approximately two bushels higher than the average trade guess. The projected yield increase translated into a record 785 million bushel carryout projection (up from the department’s 580 million bushel estimate in… Read more »
Wheat prices jump into August — This week in the grain markets
This week, winter wheat prices touched a three-year high, but it didn’t last. Chicago SRW wheat prices for September 2018 gained 5 per cent or about 26 cents US/bushel to close at $5.56. While the December 2018 contract was up 5.4 percent — or nearly 30 cents — to finish a tad under $5.80. In… Read more »
A little humour settles the nerves after a wild Thursday in the wheat market
Thursday was a wild day in the wheat trade based on a confusing report out which seemed to indicate Ukraine was going to restrict exports of milling wheat. Bloomberg ran the story and the market — already in rally mode due to weather concerns in Europe — burst more than 25 cents higher based on… Read more »
Crude oil shipments by rail reaching record levels ahead of harvest
Crude oil shipments by rail in Canada are at record highs and forecast to continue climbing, as oil production has increased with no major expansion in export pipeline capacity. At the same time, executives for Canada’s two major railways say they intend to maintain rail capacity for grain. 198,788 barrels of oil per day were… Read more »
Beef Market Update: Quiet trade week as we get closer to the halfway point of summer
As our beef market expert Anne Wasko puts it, ‘It was the dog days of summer —but for the beef industry’ last week. It was a quiet trade week, and the cattle that did trade looked about $2 lower than the average price this year — however, it’s not a big surprise due to the… Read more »
Getting away from artificial prices – This week in the grain markets
Grain markets this week finished higher for the second straight week as the complex seemed to wake up from the nightmare it’s been in the last few months. Corn prices had a fairly good week in Chicago. Front-month and next-month contracts added a few percentage gains as markets kept a close eye on European weather… Read more »
Grain World crop tour lifts Prairie yield estimate
If you have heard us say it once, you will hear us say it again: the crop conditions in Western Canada are quite variable. Surprisingly, though, at Ag In Motion last week farmers repeatedly told us that crop conditions were better than you might expect. This week, Farmlink Marketing Solutions staff and third-party field scouts… Read more »
What’s behind recent strength in the Canadian dollar?
On Friday, the Canadian dollar rose nearly a cent relative to the U.S. dollar. The sudden ‘strength’ came from a couple of sources. First, more confidence that the Bank of Canada will continue the path gradual rate hikes; second, a weaker U.S. Dollar. Recent Canadian economic data warrants the Bank’s outlook for gradual rate increases…. Read more »