There are still plenty of unknowns surrounding the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) outbreak that has killed millions of chickens and turkeys on farms across North America going back to early 2022, but a drop in the number of new cases in the month of May is a positive sign for the poultry sector. The… Read More
Category: United States
The growing season is busy. From before the crop goes into the ground, to after it’s harvested, there are a million different things on the go. Although skipping any steps is frowned upon, one step that should never be skipped is a proper sprayer tank clean out, says Shawn Senko of the Canola Council of… Read More
The current commodity markets are a key economic indicator, and as many are well aware, in the commodity world the key indicator is crude oil. Where crude goes, so does the rest of the commodities, says Errol Anderson, president of ProMarket Communications Inc., based at Calgary, Alta. As things look according to Anderson, there’s a… Read More
Cattle markets have held their own over the last week, with prime grilling season underway heading into the Memorial Day weekend in the U.S. and Father’s Day around the corner. U.S. cattle prices this week ranged from one to three dollars higher, from south to north, explains Anne Wasko of the Gateway Livestock Exchange in… Read More
Across agriculture, there’s a lot of topics are relative to local circumstances, as we are spread across many different conditions and so dependent on weather; seeding and planting progress is no different. Instead of asking whether you are 50 or 90 per cent done, we’re asking you this week: where are you at compared to… Read More
The Canadian pork industry continues to face roadblocks in rebuilding pork demand and prices, highlighted by the closure of the Olymel processing plant in Vallée-Jonction, Quebec and a HyLife plant in Minnesota. Stephen Heckbert, executive director of the Canadian Pork Council (CPC), says the closures don’t necessarily need to be in Canada to impact the… Read More
Two more major agricultural equipment manufacturers have signed memoranda of understanding regarding farmers’ right to repair their own equipment. The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) says AGCO and Kubota have each signed MOUs that were negotiated independently but are similar to agreements previously reached with John Deere and CNH Industrial. Altogether, the four agreements are… Read More
Can the production rules of one state wag the (curly) tail of pork trade for an entire country? If the state is California, the answer is: it’s possible. Prop 12, first passed in the state in 2018 and then upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court this week, sets out space requirements for livestock in production… Read More
If you look at the commodity markets as of Tuesday, it’s a bit of a mixed bag, but for the most part — there’s no green on the screen. Jim McCormick of AgMarket.Net joined RealAg Radio host Shaun Haney to discuss what is going on, and where this uncertainty is coming from. As you can… Read More
As the growing season really gets going across North America, we’re starting to see a little more hope on where the grass is growing, and there’s a bit more optimism out there in the pasture — especially in southwestern Saskatchewan, which has faced multiple years of hard drought and where this week’s Beef Market Update… Read More
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) published its May World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) report on Friday. Wheat futures rose between 10 and 30 cents following the report, with the global wheat outlook for 2023/24 featuring lower supplies, trade, consumption, and ending stocks compared with 2022/23. Global production is forecast at a record… Read More
A European corn borer (ECB) population in part of eastern Canada appears to have developed resistance to a Bt protein commonly used in North American corn hybrids for preventing damage from the pest. On April 27th, the Canadian Corn Pest Coalition reported a sample of ECB collected near Truro, Nova Scotia, showed reduced susceptibility to… Read More
Residue management, seeing rates, dates, other establishment factors in the early season, and a whole lot more are the focus on this episode of The Agronomists. Host Lyndsey Smith is joined by certified wheat gurus Phil Needham of Needham Ag Technologies, and Peter “Wheat Pete” Johnson, RealAgriculture’s resident agronomist. The focus for this episode is… 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
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