Record-level grain handles continue for CN, CP

MarketsFarm -- Canada's two largest railways both reported new highs in grain movement for March and for their first fiscal quarters. Canadian National Railway (CN) announced Monday it had moved 2.95 million tonnes of grain last month, beating the previous March record of 2.74 million transported last year. It was also the 13th straight month[...]

Japan increases demand for canola

MarketsFarm -- Japan has continued to generate an increased demand for canola, according to Daisuke Sasatani, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) attaché in Tokyo. Sasatani said approximately 98 per cent of Japan's canola imports are from Canada, while Australia supplies the remainder. The attaché estimated Japan's canola imports in 2020-21 are to rise by[...]


Port of Thunder Bay opens for season

MarketsFarm -- The 2021 navigation season is officially underway at the Port of Thunder Bay, as the tugboat Sharon M1 and barge Huron Spirit arrived late Friday. The tug-barge combo discharged a calcium chloride brine solution, used as a stabilizer and dust suppressant. The same combo also opened the season 2020, one year ago to[...]

Port of Churchill moves to 100 per cent local ownership

MarketsFarm -- The Port of Churchill is undergoing an ownership transition that will see its OneNorth community and Indigenous partners assume 100 per cent ownership of the Hudson Bay port and the rail line connecting it to northwestern Manitoba. The Churchill Marine Tank Farm and associated assets are also part of the deal, according to[...]


Farm cash receipts up in 2020

MarketsFarm -- New data from Statistics Canada on Tuesday showed Canadian farm cash receipts went up in 2020, despite the COVID-19 pandemic, on the strength of rising crop prices and exports. The total value of farm cash receipts in the country totalled $71.7 billion in 2020, an 8.1 per cent increase from the previous year.[...]

Wet or dry spring ahead? Depends on where in Canada

MarketsFarm -- There will be increased in risk of flooding this spring in British Columbia, western Alberta and parts of Eastern Canada, according to a report Friday from AccuWeather. Meanwhile, dry conditions are expected to continue across the Prairies. AccuWeather's report forecasts below-normal temperatures for B.C. and western Alberta going into spring. That could delay[...]


Few alterations seen in new global supply/demand report

MarketsFarm -- There were few notable changes in the latest monthly supply-and-demand report from the International Grains Council (IGC) on Thursday. One of the more significant alterations was its 1.42 per cent increase to total global production from that in 2019-20, at nearly 2.216 billion tonnes. It also raises its estimate for this marketing year's[...]

Pulse weekly outlook: World Pulses Day celebrated

MarketsFarm -- The United Nations celebrated the annual World Pulses Day on Feb. 10, highlighting the contribution of pulse crops to world agriculture and nutrition. "Pulses are more than just nutritious seeds – they also contribute to achieving the goals of the 2030 Agenda of Sustainable Development," the UN said in a release. "They play[...]


Long-range forecast points to cool, wet spring for northern Prairies

MarketsFarm -- Central and northern agricultural regions of Saskatchewan and Alberta are forecast to see cooler-than-normal temperatures with above-average precipitation over the next three months, according the latest long-range outlook from Environment Canada. The department's latest seasonal weather maps, dated Sunday, show a 40-50 per cent chance of above-normal precipitation across most of the northern[...]

Canadian grain exports up 35 per cent on the year

Canadian grain companies continue to do brisk business moving grains and oilseeds out of the country, with movement of canola, wheat, barley and many other crops running well ahead of the year-ago pace. Crop-year-to-date exports of Canada’s major grains and oilseeds as of Jan. 17 came in at 26.4 million tonnes, according to Canadian Grain[...]