Markets
New crop canola prices are more likely to head up than down, says a trader of the commodity. PI Financial broker Ken Ball says new crop canola is comfortably valued at $840 per tonne right now. “It’s certainly not likely to come crashing down even with a good crop in Canada, the European Union and […] Read more
Markets
Wheat jumpy as war tensions rise
Twenty-three million tonnes might be taken off the market if a military conflict breaks out between Russia and Ukraine
Wheat prices could explode if the Russia-Ukraine standoff evolves into war, says an analyst. “If some kind of conflict starts, we’re telling clients we don’t know how high wheat would have to go,” said Dan Basse, president of AgResource Company. His contacts in the grain industry tell him the United States government is mulling over […] Read more
Plenty of clouds on horizon to threaten nitrogen outlook
North America’s red-hot fertilizer market is beginning to show signs of cooling — a welcome development for Canadian growers who still haven’t closed a deal on spring nitrogen supplies. But there’s still no shortage of wild cards clouding the outlook for North American fertilizer, warned Josh Linville, a market analyst with American consulting firm StoneX. […] Read more
China expected to remain major grain buyer
It’s thought 20 to 25 million tonnes of imported corn are used annually to replace table scraps previously fed to hogs
China doubled its grain purchases in 2021, helping spur the bull run in grain markets, but what’s in store for this year? Dan Basse, president of AgResource Company, thinks more of the same. China imported a record 65 million tonnes of grain last year, according to customs data published by the Dim Sums blog. That […] Read more
Know how grain companies think to avoid contract trouble
When farmers sign a grain contract, it’s vital that they understand what the grain company is trying to achieve. That could help avoid the nightmare so many farmers faced after 2021’s short crop. A farmer might see a grain contract as a means of locking in price and arranging a delivery window, but the company […] Read more
China redoubles efforts to restore food self-sufficiency
I’ve written many columns about China’s importance to global food trade and sometimes I think I sound like a broken record, but then I see a new statistic that causes my jaw to drop. China’s grain and oilseed imports last year topped a staggering 167 million tonnes. Imports accounted for about 19 percent of its […] Read more
U.S. dry bean exports take significant jump
Producers harvested a 30 percent smaller crop last year, but global demand remains buoyant, partly due to COVID-19
Demand for American dry beans is exceptionally strong despite the small crop, says an industry official. Growers in the United States harvested 1.03 million tonnes of beans last year, down 30 percent from the previous year. Mexico is the biggest market for U.S. beans and they were very active buyers in 2020-21 due to a […] Read more
Signs point toward peak in nitrogen fertilizer prices
Correction catches observers off guard, pointing to the possible start of a softening trend as EU natural gas prices ease
Fertilizer markets appear to have reached a tipping point, says an industry analyst. Urea prices in the United States careened lower in the first week of January and it is now the cheapest nitrogen fertilizer product in that market. The sudden correction that caught many off guard appears to be the first sign of a […] Read moreWP livestock report
Hogs The U.S. national live price average for barrows and gilts was $56.76 Jan. 28. It was unavailable Jan. 21. U.S. hogs averaged $75.11 on a carcass basis Jan. 28, up from $62.69 Jan. 21. The U.S. pork cutout was $96.39 per hundredweight Jan. 28, up from $93.29 Jan. 21. The estimated U.S. weekly slaughter […] Read more
Canfax report
This cattle market information is selected from the weekly report from Canfax, a division of the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association. More market information, analysis and statistics are available by becoming a Canfax subscriber by calling 403-275-5110 or at www.canfax.ca. No U.S. interest in feds In the previous two weeks, western Canadian fed cattle prices averaged in […] Read more
