If you go to a lot of industry conferences like I do, you’ll hear a lot of talk about India. India’s a huge buyer of Canadian pulses, sometimes buys our other crops, and sometimes – shockingly – ends up exporting wheat when the country’s farmers grow a lot. So it’s a big freakin’ deal in […] Read more
Ed White
Stories by Ed White
Are we at the highs or the lows? Seasonality, schmeasonality!
Usually this is the time of the year when the ag markets hit bottom. This is when the “harvest lows” bottom out. Certainly that’s been the case in oats, and I know that because most years I cover the Prairie Oat Growers Association convention in the first week of December, and almost invariably it’s during […] Read more
Black Friday – how black is your outlook?
It’s Black Friday, and thousands of Manitobans have flocked south to Grand Forks and Fargo, North Dakota, to be part of the madding crowds seeking deals at big box stores down south of the line. The Tobans will probably get most of the deals because all the Yanks they’re competing with will still be stuffed […] Read more
China’s ‘ravenous growth’ will continue: analysts
China’s recent attempt to slow its economy sent shivers down the spine of North American crop markets in the past two weeks. But many market observers doubt China’s attempts to rein in inflation, even if successful, will significantly crimp its demand for prairie crops and meats. “It’s a nice story, but there’s absolutely nothing behind […] Read more
Feed grain prices threaten hog production profitability
STEINBACH, Man. – Hog prices look profitable in the middle and second half of next year, but producers are being warned to watch out for rising feed grain prices. “Where the risk, I think, lies in terms of your profitability is largely on the feed side,” said Tyler Fulton, risk management specialist with Hams Marketing […] Read more
Farmers shouldn’t count on $200 per hog prices
STEINBACH, Man. – Many hog farmers are banking on high prices to make up for the crippling losses of the last few years. However, producers shouldn’t assume they’ll receive $200 per hog, says Perry Mohr, general manager of Hams Marketing Services. “I would never say never, but … in the next year it is probably […] Read more
Gestation stalls not advised
The Manitoba Pork Council will probably recommend that farmers stop building dry sow stalls in construction or barn renovation projects. The financial risk to farmers in building a system that could eventually be banned or restricted by future regulations is too great, said the general manager of the farmer organization. “We may not get into […] Read more
Canola movement surges as farmers unload crop
Canola oil is pouring out of Canada like someone punched a hole in the bucket. That’s helping farmers pay bills and making the Canadian grain handling and crushing systems run fast. “It’s fantastic,” said Greg Porozni, a farmer-director with the Alberta Canola Producers Commission. “It’s astounding.” Huge demand from China and continuing strong demand from […] Read more
Tight flax supply may send up price
Big dollars aren’t attracting flax into the system. Many farmers are holding back, hoping for better prices in the spring, a bet many think is a good wager. “We’re in no big hurry,” said Darren Frank of FarmLink Marketing Solutions. This fall, farmers with flax have often been able to sell for $14 to $16 […] Read more
Keeping an eye on Henry Hub and your crack spread
My head is full of facts about the Henry Hub, about how to calculate a crack spread, about why Cushing, Oklahoma is important to USO, and about how the final fixing is done by the London Gold Pool. Today I have to write the exam for the Canadian Securities Institute’s Commodities as Investments course, and […] Read more
