Strategie Grains cuts all EU grain crop estimates

Consultancy Strategie Grains on July 14 cut all its forecasts for this year’s grain crops in the European Union, as it fine-tuned wheat and barley estimates and factored dry weather that threatens maize production. The EU wheat crop was expected to yield 123.3 million tonnes, down from 124.4 million projected in June and below the

(Thinkstock photo)

Prairie cash wheat: Bids mixed to lower

U.S. wheat futures up on week

MarketsFarm — While wheat futures on the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) were higher after hitting low points, bids for Western Canadian wheat were mixed to lower for the week ended Thursday. The Canadian dollar gained ground against a weakening U.S. greenback, moving up by more than one U.S. cent. The loonie spent the week


(File photo by Dave Bedard)

Speculative net short position grows in canola

MarketsFarm — The speculative net short position in ICE Futures canola grew during the week ended Tuesday, as fund traders liquidated long positions and opened some new shorts, according to the latest Commitment of Traders (CoT) report compiled by the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). The net managed money short position in ICE Futures



One Canada Square (tower at centre) houses the London head office of the International Grains Council. (Iliffd/iStock/Getty Images)

July report from IGC has few changes

Numbers tweaked from previous month's report

MarketsFarm — Other than a few tweaks, there were no major changes in the latest monthly report from the London-based International Grains Council (IGC) released Thursday. In comparing the July report with that from June, the IGC tweaked its estimate for total global grain production for 2022-23. It trimmed output by 0.13 per cent at






CBOT November 2022 soybeans (candlesticks) with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages (yellow, green and black lines). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Soy, corn futures ease on improving weather

CBOT wheat firms on export news

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean and corn futures fell on Wednesday on forecasts for improving weather in the Midwest, including rains next week that should boost crop production prospects, analysts said. Wheat futures rose as traders awaited the outcome of Egyptian wheat purchase negotiations, as well as talks on a possible deal to boost

Biostimulants sometimes have a big effect but a multi-year study by Farming Smarter found only a modest yield bump in peas, nothing much for wheat and nothing at all for canola, said researcher Gurbir Dhillon.

It’s still ‘wait and see’ country when it comes to biostimulants

A multi-year study has found some products work sometimes on some crops, but it’s hit and miss

Biostimulants work. Sort of. Sometimes. Depending. Dubbed the ‘vitamin supplements of farming,’ there are a wide range of biostimulants and they work — or don’t — in a host of different ways. Sometimes they’re worth applying and sometimes not, a three-year study by Farming Smarter suggests. “We did see an increase in yield for some crops, especially field