Grain markets found green again to end the last full trading week of March as capital inflows into the space and demand for essential foodstuffs remains strong. That said, only wheat had a positive day on Friday as the rest of the complex and broader equity markets saw a sell-off. The Canadian Loonie finished the… Read More
Agriculture is a highly competitive global industry that many times receives special attention from governments around the world to ensure farmers survive. This support, of course, takes many forms: subsidies and protectionism, or a commitment to research and export market development. For the past three years North American farmers have been dealing with scarce profits… Read More
Grain markets were mixed to end the third week of March with oilseeds and wheat finding strong gains near its end while corn and oats couldn’t recover deep losses earlier in the week. In the broader markets, U.S. stocks had their worst week since 2008, with the Dow losing 17.3 per cent, the S&P 500… Read More
Negativity can really consume you, and in the current state of the world it’s so incredibly difficult to stay positive. Everything is cancelled. Lives are being turned upside down. Borders are closing. I struggle with clinical anxiety and depression. Winter is already tough. The hours of daylight are short, and the nights are cold. This… Read More
Grain markets ended the second week of March in the red as the complex sold-off alongside oil and equities as panic-selling was the only trend to speak of. Corn and wheat futures were able to rebound a bit on Friday, but May soybeans fell to new contract lows on demand fears and some better weather… Read More
After a hiatus, I am back with my weekly “Left on the Desk” column. It has been an unreal week of writing stories for RealAgriuclture and hosting RealAg Radio as the world has succumbed to the realities of COVID-19 and taking serious preventative measures. As usual this week’s “Left on the Desk” features a scattering… Read More
With coronavirus cases on the rise, the federal and provincial governments have increased risk mitigation measures to slow down the spread of the virus. Farmers and ranchers are a relatively independent and often secluded, so the impact of any quarantine would be limited on daily operations during planting or calving. The business risk to agriculture… Read More
For many of the commodity futures in meats and grains, it has been a very rough two weeks of panic selling in response to coronavirus economic impacts. The sell-off has not been isolated to agricultural commodities, as the equity market in the U.S. is now officially in a bear market and down 20% off of… Read More
Early March has brought a very bearish tone to the commodity and equity markets due to concerns regarding the coronavirus. As a result, both the Bank of Canada and the U.S. Federal Reserve aggressively cut their key rates 50 basis-points. The possibility of both countries making even stronger cuts in the coming months is likely… Read More
Grain markets mostly ended lower again this week as the concerns about the coronavirus and grain demand continue amidst some volatile trading on the broader equity markets. This said volatility though tends to indicate a bottom is nearby. Countries around the world continue to provide economic stimulus as a way to mitigate the financial impact… Read More
American president Donald Trump returned last month from a trip to India empty-handed in terms of any new trade deal. India and its prime minister, Narendra Modi, did roll out the red carpet for President Trump, which was topped off by a rally at a cricket stadium with over a hundred thousand people reportedly in… Read More
No matter what profession you choose in life, learning opportunities surround you — although it’s up to you to choose to take them. Speaking for myself, jumping into the agriculture world has had its learning curves but it’s also given me the opportunity to explore and learn more about the industry I have grown to… Read More
Grain markets ended the third week of February mixed, with the wheat complex gaining ground that was lost last week while corn and oilseeds had a red week. The latter was a function of larger acres estimated by the USDA at their annual Ag Outlook conference in Washington. While the market was looking for more… Read More
The last of the major Prairie crop conferences — the CropConnect Conference — was held at Winnipeg, Man., this week, with a sold-out crowd braving some quintessential Manitoba farm show season weather to hear from several dozen speakers, and discuss opportunities and plans for 2020. Here are some of the takeaways from the two-day event:… Read More
Grain markets didn’t find a lot of love from traders on Valentine’s Day as a red day pushed most of the complex lower for the week. Only soybeans were able to find some gains on the thinking that China will be buying more soybeans now that the Phase One trade war deal is in effect…. Read More