Grain markets flipped the calendar this week on not only a new month, but also a new quarter, and there was plenty to digest. It really started in Tuesday’s wild U.S. Presidential debate, then was followed by Wednesday’s quarterly stocks and annual small grains production report from the USDA, and then finally, the news early… Read More
Category: Opinion
The U.S. is in the final stretch of the 2020 election with the debate spectacles soon to come. Many Canadians are watching the U.S. election, waiting for it to be over, but also wondering what the future holds for Canada-U.S. relations, regardless of the outcome. So much media attention has been given to what U.S… Read More
Grain markets pulled back this past week, something that many market participants, including yours truly, were expecting to see. Corn prices fell as harvest 2020 speeds up and the market is starting to consider the impact to ethanol demand, should a second wave of COVID-19 rage across the world this fall/winter. From a headline standpoint,… Read More
It’s official, we’re likely entering the twilight zone for grain markets. This week, we moved through the middle of September and grain futures are sitting at multi-year highs, yet it’s the time of year when we usually are seeing seasonal lows. The rally that we’ve seen since July has gone beyond just fundamental supply and demand factors, and… Read More
Grain markets continued to push higher, led by corn and soybean prices, as a friendly September WASDE report continue to bring more bulls to the table. Going into the report, the complex was focusing on demand line items and supply updates after a tough August of weather, and while the latter was recognized a bit, the USDA did… Read More
With the appointment of Lianne Rood as the shadow minister of agriculture this week, I think there will be a change in approach regarding agricultural issues between now and an election. Like her predecessor John Barlow, Rood has a strong background in agriculture and an eye on eventually being the minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food… Read More
Grain markets continued their unusual upward trend to start the month of September as, despite some weather concerns and harvest progressing, the bulls are holding fast for the complex. Futures markets continue to be buoyed by some strong new crop export sales and said supply concerns, all of which helped soybean prices climb to new… Read More
Grain markets all struck green this week as some production concerns, combined with decent export activity helped spur the complex higher. With the crop year changing over to 2020/21 on Tuesday, September 1, corn and soybeans futures led the charge as yield potential is being challenged more and more (thanks Mother Nature!) Put another way,… Read More
It was an idea with the best of intentions — to bring the five major Canadian seed-related member organizations together under the banner of Seeds Canada. The idea was to address government and stakeholders with one voice, lower delivery costs for programming, and ensure farmers have access to the world-class genetics they deserve and expect…. Read More
As I’ve sat on-and-off on the combine on my family farm, it’s had me thinking more about how we conduct ourselves when it comes to our harvest operations, and who does what — especially in operations that have employees. Everyone wants to be a part of harvest. It’s the most stressful time of the year,… Read More
Grain markets were able to rebound in the 3rd week of August as crop tour results and some technical buying help moved the complex higher. While we’ll dig into the ProFarmer crop tour results in a bit, corn and soybean prices weakened towards the end of the week on both farmer and technical selling, as… Read More
This week there was a small but significant cabinet shuffle that will prove very impactful on how Canada steers through the remaining COVID-19 economic challenges. Chrystia Freeland was sworn in as finance minister after the resignation of Bill Morneau. With such a big change at the most senior levels of the cabinet, it may create… Read More
I know I’m not alone when I say the recent decision by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) surprised me. I’m also likely not alone when I say the decision made me incredibly angry. And angry for a few reasons, I might add. Angry, because I assumed (wrongly) that my name… Read More
Everywhere you turn in the past five months, people have been having conversations about how life is different during the pandemic, but dare I say, it hasn’t changed a whole lot, when it comes to many farmers’ schedules. For now. With some notable exceptions for those with school-aged children, hogs or cattle that can’t be… Read More
Grain markets ended the second week of trading in August mostly in the green, despite a bearish WASDE report from the USDA that suggested record national average yields for both corn and soybeans. Arguably, these yields have been priced in though, and the complex rallied on a devasting “derecho” windstorm in Iowa and some solid… Read More