CHICAGO, Feb 7 (Reuters) – Icy waters on the Illinois River brought barge traffic to a virtual halt this week, slowing transportation of grains and other raw materials to export terminals at the U.S. Gulf with no relief expected as forecasts call for more bitter cold weather in the coming days, officials said on Friday. […] Read more
Markets — page 929
Icy Illinois River impedes barge traffic, little relief seen
CME cattle supported by short-covering, cash trade
By Meredith Davis CHICAGO, Feb 6 (Reuters) – Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures ended higher on Thursday supported by short-covering and expectations of at least steady cash trade, traders said. “The packers have tried to buy cattle on their own terms, but the supplies are so tight,” said Lane Broadbent, analyst at KIS Futures. […] Read more
Canola dips 1.1 percent on week but spring wheat gains 5.8 percent
Canola futures ended the week on a down note, contributing to a weekly loss of $4.60 per tonne on the March contract. Contributing to canola’s weakness today were lower soybean oil values and a stronger loonie. The overriding limit to canola though is the large supply and the rail transportation problems that are limiting exports. […] Read more
Syngenta will sell GM corn not approved by China -USDA head
By Roberta Rampton ON BOARD AIR FORCE ONE, Feb 7 (Reuters) – Syngenta AG , the world’s largest crop chemicals company, has commitments to sell its entire supply of a genetically modified corn variety that is not approved by China, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said on Friday. Vilsack said whether or not China eventually […] Read more
Cost control is order of the day
BRANDON — Making a profit on crops grown this year is going to be a challenge, according to Manitoba Agriculture analysis. All the main crops will lose money when all costs, including fixed costs, are considered, based on average yields, average total costs and the new crop market outlook. “Biggest take-home: could be a tough […] Read more
Alta. cattle official hopes herd contraction over
Beef prices soar | High beef prices and consumers’ demand for value are putting beef sales on the back burner
LETHBRIGE — Brent Chaffee hopes the tumultuous times experienced during his tenure are over as he hands over the reins of the Alberta Cattle Feeders Association to a new administration. An increasing number of feedlots in North America have called it quits in recent years because of elusive profits. “There have been enough years with […] Read moreForget cartoons; weekends are for Producer video
In addition to trying to provide the best agricultural news and information in print, online and in social media and email reports, we at The Western Producer are beginning to produce video content. We’ve had videos on Producer.com for several months, most of them focused on agricultural machinery and farm life. In the last couple […] Read more
Huge carryover will be headache until 2015
CWB market analyst is particularly worried that large domestic and international oilseed supply could sink canola prices
Prairie farmers will feel the reverberations of last year’s large crop and the inability to move it well beyond this crop year, according to two new forecasts. There has been plenty of talk about the looming carryout at the end of 2013-14, but it’s the following year that worries Neil Townsend, director of CWB Market […] Read moreRail jam blamed for tepid crush pace
Slow start last fall | Growers are annoyed with low prices being offered, saying crusher profits are excessive
Canola farmers are disappointed with the prices they are receiving for their seed at crush plants and the volumes running through those facilities. Members of the Canadian Oilseed Processors Association (COPA) had processed 3.36 million tonnes of canola as of Jan. 29, down from the previous year’s pace of 3.58 million tonnes. Although processing is […] Read moreAging producers, drought aftermath hinders expansion
The expansion phase of the U.S. cattle cycle is long overdue but a host of factors are working against herd rebuilding and are forcing segments of the industry to consolidate. The cattle cycle, where the herd expands and contracts at regular intervals of 10 to 12 years, has been in place since the end of […] Read more
