More Crops Briefs, Jan. 26

CWB’s winter rail program expects high volumes The Canadian Wheat Board’s winter rail program is expected to be one of the highest-volume years ever. “This is very good to see,” said CWB spokesperson Maureen Fitzhenry. “There was a big crop and a lot of demand.” The 2010-11 program transported 840,000 tonnes of wheat and durum

New ICE Canada grain contracts off to slow start

Traders took a cautious approach to new IntercontinentalExchange grain futures and options contracts introduced Jan. 23 as the exchange looked to capitalize on the approaching end of the Canadian Wheat Board’s monopoly. ICE Futures Canada, based in Winnipeg, launched new milling wheat, durum and barley contracts for delivery in October and later, after the wheat


Argentina revamps wheat policy

Argentina’s new wheat export system promises to spur output from the grains-producing powerhouse at a time when farmers are hurting from dry weather and the government needs more foreign currency. The administration of recently re-elected President Cristina Fernandez will scrap incremental export quotas in a bid to improve prices for farmers by boosting competition among



Co-operating with its competitors

Attendance was down at the annual Canadian Wheat Board breakfast at Ag Days this year, but the farmers who came were encouraged by what they heard. “That just made my day. Now we have a choice,” said Jake Hofer, a wheat producer from Treesbank Colony after listening to a presentation by Gord Flaten, the board’s

Monitor open market, Goodale says

The new open wheat and barley market promised for western Canadian farmers starting Aug. 1 should be monitored by an independent institution so the findings can help guide future policies, says Saskatchewan Liberal MP Ralph Goodale. “Unless you start working on this right now from the beginning and follow it through from Day 1 you


New twist in wheat board legal battle

The battle over the future of the Canadian Wheat Board has moved off the farm, out of the parliamentary chambers and into the courts. Two new court actions were launched early in the new year, including a class-action lawsuit claiming $15.4 billion is owed to farmers upon the dismantling of Canadian Wheat Board assets. “The

Market steady, but uncertainty ahead

Commodity prices may have peaked in 2011, ProFarmer analyst Mike Jubinville told farmers attending the St. Jean Farm Days. “My gut feeling right now is that the heights have already come in,” Jubinville told producers. “It’s not that I’m feeling bearish about the marketplace going into 2012, personally I think that there is going to



India grain stocks sharply higher

New Delhi / Reuters India’s Jan. 1 wheat stocks at government warehouses were 25.7 million tonnes, more than three times the official target for the quarter ending Mar. 31 government sources said Jan. 9. Rice inventory for the same period was 29.8 million tonnes against a target of 11.8 million tonnes. The wheat target was