WINNIPEG/OTTAWA, June 29 (Reuters) – Canadian farmers planted less spring wheat and about the same area of canola as last year, dedicating the most land ever to lentils, Statistics Canada said in a report on Wednesday that was in line with trade expectations. Statscan pegged all-wheat plantings, which also include the durum and winter varieties, […] Read more
Markets
Canadian farmers cut wheat plantings, sow record lentil area
Brexit gives final kick to terrible week on crop markets: canola falls again
The market uncertainty and currency fluctuations caused by the Brexit vote added to the negativity that has hung over crop markets all week. Canola futures fell again on Friday, along with other crop markets that have swooned as the weather in North America is mostly favourable for crop development. A 52 percent majority of Britons […] Read more
Big U.S. cattle placements in May point to more meat in Q3
CHICAGO, June 24 (Reuters) – Cattle placed in U.S. feedlots for fattening surged by 10 percent in May, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said on Friday in data that suggested beef supplies will be ample and prices potentially lower in the third quarter of 2016. However, analysts polled by Reuters predicted the spike in placements. […] Read more
Cattle tumble, hogs decline on liquidation after Brexit
CHICAGO, June 24 (Reuters) – U.S. live cattle tumbled more than 2 percent on Friday, extending the week’s losses to the largest in about two months, as investors liquidated holdings following Britain’s referendum vote to exit the European Union, traders and analysts said. Feeder cattle futures also fell sharply while lean hogs notched smaller declines […] Read more

Brexit casts cloud over Canada-EU trade deal
In the short term, the Brexit means Canada-U.K. and Canada-EU trade could be disrupted by currency volatility. In the long run, it’s hard to say what will happen, but free trade with Europe now seems much less likely than it did two days ago. Those are some of the quick conclusions of Sylvain Charlebois, the […] Read more
Cattle jump in technical rebound as corn extends losses
CHICAGO, June 23 (Reuters) – U.S. live cattle rose sharply on Thursday, extending gains to the third session in a row on technical buying and as falling corn prices reduced feed costs for fattening animals, traders and analysts said. Feeder cattle climbed to a 1-1/2 week high as corn slid to a six-week low while […] Read more

Bargains to be had on urea, ammonia
Urea prices are $100 per tonne below those of recent years, reflecting low natural gas costs, weak demand and new production
Growers should seriously consider locking up their 2017 nitrogen fertilizer needs at today’s prices, says an analyst. Urea and anhydrous ammonia prices are lower than they have been in a long while, said Derek Squair, president of Agri-Trend Marketing. He has seen urea prices as low as $300 per tonne and anhydrous prices of 36 […] Read moreWeaker fall calf prices still profitable
EDMONTON — There were no smiles in the audience when Brian Perrillat delivered his predictions for this fall’s calf market. It wasn’t too long ago when many producers thought selling calves for $2 a pound would be the highlight of their careers. Last year, they soared as high as $3.30, but this fall calves could […] Read more
U.S. hog sector worries over proposed ownership ban
DES MOINES, Iowa — The American hog industry fears that the impact of well-intended rules and regulations might cost farmers dearly. Possible restrictions on production contracts and even an outright ban on packers owning pigs could hurt a hog farming business that now relies on the dependability of producer-packer inter-reliance, the U.S. National Pork Producers […] Read more
Determining true hog prices growing more difficult
DES MOINES, Iowa — Hog producers are having a difficult time finding reliable price information on U.S. hog sales. The United States Department of Agriculture offers no hints at how accurate its current published prices are, nor how producers might be able access better-grounded numbers. “Clearly a lot of producers are making decisions that are […] Read more