Russian traders fear resumed export restrictions

Prices for Russian export wheat jumped again last week as traders confronted bare elevators in Russia’s southern export regions and hesitated to buy grain inland for export, fearing export duties could be imposed and stop it leaving Russia. Traders and analysts believe Russia’s government, which has said Russia should export no more than 23 million

Edible bean acres set to double

Edible beans are shaping up to be a popular crop to plant in southern Manitoba this spring, with bean area set to rebound off of 2011’s very small acreage. Market analyst Darren Frank, of FarmLink Marketing Solutions, said that of all the new-crop options in southern Manitoba, edible beans might be seeing the most interest.





Crop problems lead to options bets on $7-$8 corn

For the past month, investors who foresee a potential shortfall in U.S. corn production at a time of brisk demand have placed low-risk bets that new-crop prices will surge 25 to 45 per cent by the end of this year. They’re banking on corn to surge back to the $7- or even $8-per-bushel mark after

Russia raises grain export forecast

Russia’s government sees no need for grain export restrictions in April and has its raised grain export forecast for 2011-12 by 12.5 per cent. “Given a revised harvest figure of 93.9 million tonnes… the forecast for grain exports in the 2011-12 crop year has been raised to 27 million tonnes,” said Viktor Zubkov, the deputy


CWB boosts wheat and malting barley initials

Prairie malting barley growers can expect to see an extra $51.90 per tonne in the next few weeks for their 2011-12 deliveries. The barley adjustment payment, expected to flow by direct deposit on Feb. 21 and by cheques in the mail starting Feb. 24, is on the list of increased initial payments effective Feb. 9,

EU wheat prices up on cold

European milling wheat futures rose on Monday to their highest in nearly eight months as buying linked to options reinforced support from nervousness about the risk to crops from freezing conditions across Europe. March milling wheat on the Paris-based futures market was up 5.00 euros or 2.3 per cent at 222.25 euros a tonne, a


No surprise in grain stocks report

Reuters / Canada’s supplies of canola were slightly tighter on Dec. 31 than a year earlier, but all-wheat supplies grew modestly, Statistics Canada has reported. The calendar year-end stocks report is an indicator of how accurate StatsCan’s final production estimates were for the most recent harvest, along with how robust demand was late in the