There are multiple sources of strength for canola prices, but farmers shouldn’t assume prices can keep surging higher, says a Bunge trader and risk management specialist. If farmers plant 20 million acres this spring, even strong demand won’t stop canola prices slipping like they have in recent weeks. “The current flat price is very rich,” […] Read more
Ed White
Stories by Ed White
Barley pencils out poorly
Profit calculators assessing net returns from crops planted this spring put feed barley at the bottom of the list and malting barley about halfway up. That’s the major reason the Canadian Wheat Board expects barley acres to climb only a little. “An increase in the (Pool Return Outlook) should help . . . but we […] Read more
Shipping industry facing financial crisis
The recent deaths of four American hostages and capture of a yachting Danish family has drawn attention to the plague of piracy in the Indian Ocean. But for ship owners, operators and freight brokers, uncontrolled piracy is just another critical problem for the shipping industry, an industry that is slipping further into financial crisis as […] Read more
Hog futures to fall, corn to rise: experts
Reasons to be bullish about livestock prices are everywhere, but analysts at GrainWorld warned producers to not assume present prices can last. Somebody’s margin is going to get squeezed, and it will likely be the farmer’s. “…we need (20 to 40 percent) higher prices (in grocery stores) to give everybody a margin,” said Informa Economics […] Read more
A bunch of cycles out of whack
Ever see a whole bunch of cycles go out of whack all at the same time? Here’s a pic: This happens in the world’s economies and markets all the time. It’s happening right now in the world shipping market, as its wacky time-lags cause it to be completely out of whack with the rest of […] Read more
Twitchy up or twitchy down
Volatility is the big thing in the markets this year and lots of people were talking volatility at GrainWorld this year. In the grain and livestock markets, volatility has been great, although nothing yet to compare to 2008. Farmers aren’t complaining much yet because the volatility has been on the generally-going-higher side of the overall […] Read more
Program helps Manitoba hog producers with manure management
New government funding for manure storage may save small Manitoba hog producers facing regulatory extinction, farm leaders say. A winter-spreading ban for small farmers becomes law in two years, they add, and the $26.3 million in federal-provincial cash through the Manure Management Financial Assistance Program is badly needed. “This program is definitely going to help,” […] Read more
Arab unrest wild card in grain market economy
Spreading political unrest in the Middle East could continue to have huge impacts on crop prices, say experts who spoke last week at GrainWorld. The problem is that it is impossible to predict not only what will happen but also the way markets will react. “It’s going to be a year of uncertainty,” said Geoff […] Read more
Canadian brand equals local: marketer
Canadian consumers want to eat Canadian pork but producer organizations need to forget futile local campaigns if they want to get more of the consumer loonie, says a leader of a national pork promotion organization. “The truth is that provincial marketing efforts are floundering and don’t work,” said Curtiss Littlejohn, an Ontario farmer, about Pork […] Read more
Durum leads way in 2011-12 outlook
There continues to be wild volatility in the market, but new crop and old crop wheat prices are remarkably similar in the Canadian Wheat Board’s first Pool Return Outlook for 2011-12. Most wheat grades and classes are slightly higher for 2011-12, but durum and malting barley are much higher, satisfying farmer hopes to see the […] Read more
