South American crops face weather challenges this growing season, but the final outcome will depend on what La Nina does in late December and January, says a leading weather and crop development analyst. “I think everyone’s become kind of complacent and not worried about the situation,” said Drew Lerner of World Weather Inc. about Brazil. […] Read more
Ed White
Stories by Ed White
Wheat problem not crisis
There’s a lot of chatter about the bad state of much of the U.S. hard red winter wheat crop but no one should bank on it raising the price of wheat in 2011, said a leading weather analyst. “It’s a concern, but it’s not a crisis,” said Drew Lerner of World Weather Inc., an analysis […] Read more
Put your toque on and let’s talk Ozzie rain
Have you ever seen a man wearing a toque talking about rain in Australia? I hadn’t either until a few minutes ago when I checked out the Canadian Wheat Board’s youtube site and watched the video commentary provided by a betoqued weather and crop conditions analyst named Stuart McMillan. (Oddly, my markets editor – also […] Read more
The insidious creep of credentialism: sign me up!
I remember once interviewing a fellow who spoke of “creeping credentialism” and its dangers in – if I remember right – the teaching profession. Basically, he was concerned that people were involved in an educational arms race in which they would pile up degrees, certificates and designations and then be able to stick new items […] Read more
Researchers combat pesky Christmas tree needles
Christmas is better without pricks. A team of Canadian researchers hopes its work will help Christmas trees retain their needles and keep the needles from falling onto floors where they cause millions of unwanted foot pricks each year during the festive season. The researchers believe they have found the source of dropped prickles.“Post harvest needle […] Read more
If a report fell in the forest, and it made a sound but no one cared, and then a bear came and . . .
On Friday Statistics Canada dropped a report with some big surprises in it, the market heard it – and did nothing. So did it make a sound? Here’s a better question: Who cares? The only thing that matters in reports is market impact, so if the market did nothing with big extra production of canola […] Read more
Another leg up?
So are we down at the ankle of another leg up in the crop markets? It’d sure be nice if there’s another surge in prices coming before Christmas. And I must admit the end of the downdraft in the main ag markets and the surge upwards yesterday – held onto today – have made me […] Read more
Sell feedgrain for cash flow: analyst
The prairie feedgrain market is glutted, but prices are high. That’s a rare anomaly and a chance for farmers who need money to sell feed crops and hang on to non-feed crops with better price outlooks, say some advisers. “If you want to generate cash and hold onto other products longer, we’re saying sell 50 […] Read more
Get set to take advantage of oat rally early in new year, says analyst
Oat deliveries have dried up as prices fail to keep up with farmers’ expectations. “We know that the oat market has to go higher but it’s going lower,” said Doug Chambers of Quality Grain. “You can’t get anybody to move oats before January now.” But leading oat industry and market analyst Randy Strychar planned to […] Read more
Canola growers keep truckin’
LANGDON, N.D. – The Borgens don’t seem to be able to keep away from the frigid centre of the Prairies. Tom and Nola Borgen escaped the cold winters and tough economics of North Dakota in 1967 by moving to Seattle where Tom had been spending his winters working in the construction industry. By 1981, they […] Read more
