“The little worm gets inside the root and injects something into the vascular tissue of the plant. This actually changes the biology of those plant cells and they start producing food for the nematode. It’s fascinating.” – Greg Tylka, Iowa State University.

SCN: The new tough guy on the block

Soybean cyst nematode’s survival mechanisms make it difficult to monitor and control

Soybeans arrived in Manitoba in the early 20th century, but it took another 100 years for them to become a major crop. Now, almost two decades into the 21st century, an old enemy from the homeland has finally followed. Soybean cyst nematode (SCN) is already a serious pest in the soybean belt of the American Midwest. It is

“Don’t be happy to have one set of resistance genetics available for your farmers. Keep working to develop that second one because that first one will eventually wear out.” – Greg Tylka, Iowa State University.

Tracing roots for a strategy against soybean cyst nematode

How soybean ancestors helped scientists tease out SCN resistance

If there’s an answer to soybean cyst nematode, it may lie in the soybean family tree. Soybean cyst nematode (SCN) has been a tough problem since it first appeared in North America back in the 1950s. It’s a soil-bound pest so it can’t be sprayed. Instead, the solution must be found through biology—finding a weak


Louis Dreyfus’ oilseed processing plant at Yorkton, Sask. (LDC.com)

Commodity merchant Louis Dreyfus creates food solutions unit

Company to draw on existing oilseeds processing portfolio

Paris | Reuters — Agricultural commodity merchant Louis Dreyfus Co. (LDC) has created a food and feed solutions business line as part of efforts to diversify its activities in step with consumer trends, the company said on Tuesday. The new unit will focus on developing LDC’s presence in the lecithin, glycerine and specialty feed protein

(Greg Berg photo)

CBOT weekly outlook: Soy futures find support, but upside limited

Corn activity mainly bearish

MarketsFarm — Solid export demand, a short squeeze by fund traders and production uncertainty in South America have all propped up Chicago soybean futures over the past week, with more gains possible ahead of the year-end before correcting lower, according to an analyst. With the South American harvest still some time away, “you might have



Grain ships carrying Ukrainian grain are seen in the Black Sea, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, near Ukrainian port of Odesa, Ukraine Oct. 30, 2022. (Photo: Reuters/Serhii Smolientsev)

Black Sea grain export deal extended

Deal's terms unchanged; Moscow to still seek removal of obstacles to grain, fertilizer exports

Reuters — A deal aimed at easing global food shortages by helping Ukraine export its agricultural products from Black Sea ports was extended for four months on Thursday, though Russia said its own demands were yet to be fully addressed. The agreement, initially reached in July, created a protected transit corridor and was designed to


ICE January 2023 canola (candlesticks) with Bollinger bands (20,2) and ICE March 2023 canola (black line). (Barchart)

ICE weekly outlook: Premium showing in front-month canola

'Surge' of farmer selling expected in January

MarketsFarm — The ICE Futures canola market held rangebound during the week ended Nov. 16, with the widening premium of the nearby January contract over the March futures seen as a sign of good nearby demand. ICE January canola settled Wednesday at $882.40 per tonne, a $10.50 per tonne premium over the March contract. That

Cargo ship Despina V, carrying Ukrainian grain, is seen in the Black Sea off Kilyos near Istanbul, Turkey on Nov. 2, 2022.  (Photo: Reuters/Umit Bektas)

Reasons for optimism seen on renewal for Ukraine grain deal

Deal set to roll over on Saturday

Reuters — A United Nations source on Wednesday said they have reasons to be “cautiously optimistic” on the renewal of a Black Sea grains export agreement, which is set to roll over on Saturday unless there are objections. The U.N.-backed agreement on July 22 allowed grain shipments to resume from certain Ukrainian ports on the


ICE January 2023 canola (candlesticks) with 20- and 50-day moving averages. (Barchart)

ICE weekly outlook: Trader sees canola topping $900 mark soon

Crush margins at 'very, very extreme levels'

MarketsFarm — Despite surpassing the $900 per tonne mark at times during the week ended Wednesday, ICE Futures’ January canola contract never settled above that psychological level. Rising prices prior to the weekend later gave away to selling pressure after the weekend due to a correction in vegetable oil prices, according to broker Ken Ball

File photo of a sunrise over an Alberta barley crop. (MNphotography/iStock/Getty Images)

Alberta issues final crop report for year

Harvest over 98 per cent done by region and crop type

MarketsFarm –– For the second year in a row the Alberta harvest wrapped up well ahead of the five-year average. With a gain of three points for the week ended Tuesday, Alberta Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Economic Development (AFRED) pegged the combining of major crops at 99.2 per cent complete. That’s 22 and a half