What in the world is China going to buy from American farmers to live up to the bragging of United States President Donald Trump? China just put on the back burner a plan for a huge increase in ethanol use, so hopes for increased buying of U.S. biofuel or corn are dashed. China’s hog herd […] Read more
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China’s corn needs likely to fall as ethanol plan slashed
Palm oil leading the way higher for oilseed prices
Canola futures rallied in December, climbing to the upper level of the price range in place since the end of summer, but still lower than what they were at the same time last year and arguably disappointing considering the sharp rally in soybean oil. From the beginning of December to Jan. 3, March soy oil […] Read more
Canadian producers hang on to wheat market share
Facing increasing competition from abroad and major system reorganization at home, Canada has done a good job of hanging on to its share of the global wheat market. That is a significant accomplishment, for as we leave behind the teens and head into the twenties of this still young century, Russia has come to dominate […] Read more
Canola exporters appear to offer discounts to fill gap
Exporters are finding alternative buyers for canola not going to China this crop year, but some importers pay much less than others to get the product. We’ve reported that European countries are buying more because of reduced production there and bargain hunters such as Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates are increasing imports. There isn’t […] Read more
India may raise pulse imports following poor harvest
Concerns are rising in India about its 2019-20 pulse crops. The Western Producer has already noted that heavy rain and flooding at the end of the monsoon season damaged crops including pulses in some states. This raises the potential for India to import more pulses in 2020 but much depends on whether the government there […] Read more
Hemp’s sustainable success rises with use of whole plant
Prairie farmers need another profitable crop for their rotations to relieve the pressure on canola to pay the bills. Hemp might be that crop. Canada legalized the recreational use of cannabis a year ago, unleashing a torrent of investment and news coverage, but for broadacre farmers, that is important only in that it also added […] Read more
Bold action needed to revive food processing sector
Excitement rippled through Western Canada’s agricultural industry in recent years as pulse processing plants were announced and construction proceeded. But when it comes to high-value product manufacturing using pulse protein, such as veggie burgers, the investment has been mostly in the United States. This could be a further example of how Canada’s business, regulatory and […] Read more
China’s call for fair trade in pork rings hollow
Oh the irony. Last week at a meat conference held as part of the China International Import Expo in Shanghai, a Chinese government official pleaded to international meat exporters not to take advantage of the current severe pork shortage in the country by ratcheting up prices. A Chinese web-based news site called Sixth Tone quoted […] Read more
Rising oilseed market could spark modest canola rally
There are several factors that should be lifting canola prices but values so far are stubbornly flat. Exports are fairly good. Even with China’s restrictions on imports of Canadian canola, total canola exports in the first 12 weeks of the crop year are slightly ahead of last season, which was before China took issue with […] Read more
Flat oil prices likely: good for fuel bills, bad for biodiesel
A surplus of production capacity looks set to keep crude oil prices mostly steady or perhaps a little lower into 2020, barring any geopolitical surprises or worse than expected global economic performance. That should provide stability for farmer’s diesel bills, but it also has implications for biofuel prices and the general outlook for commodity pricing. […] Read more
