CNS Canada — Western Canada’s shortline railways are getting the short end of the stick as they struggle to meet their own commitments moving grain and other products along their tracks. A backlog of grain on the Prairies over the past winter, linked in part to poor rail movement, prompted the federal government to implement
Shortlines shortchanged in Western Canada
ICE weekly outlook: Canola choppy with outside markets
CNS Canada –– ICE Futures Canada canola contracts were up and down during the week ended Wednesday, but managed to post gains overall as a weaker Canadian dollar and spillover from the advances in CBOT soybeans provided support. Whether strength in canola will continue remains to be seen. “All of these gyrations of late (in
Unknowns keep lentil bids strong
CNS Canada — Lentil bids in Western Canada continue to show strength, but with the size and quality of this year’s crop still very much unknown, the highs may be in for the time being. “I don’t think there is anyone who really knows exactly what’s out there,” said David Newman of Victoria-area pulse trading
Tighter supplies of higher-quality durum boosting bids
CNS Canada — Tight European supplies of high-quality durum are boosting North American prices for the grain — but there are also quality issues with the Canadian and U.S. crops limiting how much durum will actually be sold at those stronger prices. “There is a very large durum program to northern Europe this year,” said
November canola back above 30-day average
CNS Canada –– A record-large U.S. soybean crop remains a bearish anchor on Canadian canola futures — but recent activity has shifted some technical indicators higher. The November canola contract on ICE Futures Canada has held consistently below the 30-day moving average since May, but finally settled above that line on Monday. The 30-day moving
Conservative StatsCan production estimates downplayed
CNS Canada — Statistics Canada’s updated production estimates came in Friday at the low end of pre-report trade expectations — but the timing of the survey had most industry watchers second-guessing the numbers as soon as they came out. StatsCan pegged 2014-15 canola production at 14.079 million tonnes, up slightly from the 13.908 million tonnes
Flax prices too high, harvest pressure to weigh
CNS Canada –– A late harvest and good nearby demand are keeping flaxseed prices artificially high, but spot bids appear to have room to drop by as much as $2 per bushel or more over the next month. Spot flaxseed bids as high as $12.50 to $13 per bushel can currently be found in Manitoba
Trade awaits updated StatsCan production estimates
CNS Canada — Statistics Canada releases updated estimates on the size of the 2014-15 crops on Friday, but the lateness of the harvest in many areas will limit how much stock the industry puts in the numbers at this time. Average trade guesses generally predict a slight increase for most of the major crops compared
Late harvest, poor grain prices may limit fall fertilizer demand
CNS Canada — Poor grain prices and a late harvest may limit demand for fertilizer across North America this spring, according to an industry analyst. However, whether farmers will actually purchase less fertilizer remains to be seen, as record-large U.S. crops have also depleted nutrient levels, increasing the need for applications. “That’s the $64 million
Big crops keep pressure on CBOT soybeans, corn
CNS Canada — Soybean and corn futures at the Chicago Board of Trade fell to fresh four-year lows during the week ended Wednesday, and there is still plenty of room to the downside as the harvest pressure builds over the next month. “It will be a long harvest,” said Scott Capinegro, president of Barrington Commodity