Canola harvest has begun in North Dakota as the USDA reports that two percent of the crop has been harvested as of Aug. 9. Initial yield reports from growers are much lower than last year due to the intense heat over the entire region in the past month. The heat is widely reported to have ta…
The U.S. soybean crop has the potential to be another big one, so the market was waiting and watching for the August World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. A close watch was also in China, which is back buying U.S. soybeans.
A general lack of any new fundamental news has kept durum prices locked in a trading range that’s remained steady over the past several weeks.
While other commodity markets have been experiencing a lot of volatility with prices fluctuating up and down over the past few weeks, sunflower prices are bucking that trend and have actually risen.
Wheat harvest is a special time of year. The sights, sounds, and smells bring a flood of memories to anyone who has spent time working long hours behind the wheel of a combine or grain truck, shoveling grain or maneuvering augers. Besides the sights, sounds and smells, there’s always pressur…
The corn market wasn’t moving much as it was awaiting the next supply and demand report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, caught between the potential of a big corn crop and good export demand.
Old crop canola supplies in North Dakota are indicated at very low levels as canola basis levels have improved significantly in July. Basis for current month and early August delivery at local crush plants in North Dakota ranges from $25 to $55 over the ICE canola futures prices.
As the adage goes, “soybeans are made in August.” That’s why any major weather event at that time can have a major impact on the market. But this year is a little different in that long stretches of intense heat followed by a fast-moving rainstorm in July is causing volatility in the soybean…
Though durum and spring wheat are both classes of wheat, fundamentally they are different. And while spring what prices have been able to rally somewhat because of recent weather conditions, durum has not followed.
As the 2026 sunflower crop continues to develop under very hot conditions, sunflower prices also are getting hot and enjoying a nice rally.
Many of the commodity markets have been dominated by weather lately, as well as geopolitical issues, and those have helped boost spring wheat prices in late July.
Each growing season typically includes a period when weather is the main market factor influencing direction, creating a “weather market.” For corn, this “usually” happens in early July, but this year is different.
Canola prices have increased in recent weeks, partly due to a war premium after the talks between the U.S. and Iran broke down again. With crude oil rising on the news, canola and soybean oil have both trended up with their link to biofuel production. News of China purchasing more soybeans h…
As with corn, current weather patterns have helped improve soybean prices as well as news of China again re-entering the market to purchase U.S. soybeans.
Over the past few weeks there have been a lot of reports and updated numbers coming out of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Unfortunately for durum, there has been little, if any, market reaction. As a result, prices have remained the same as they’ve been the past several weeks, even as o…
Sunflower acreage for oil-type sunflower is higher this year in North Dakota and South Dakota, according to USDA’s planted acreage report that was released at the end of June.
Hot, dry weather has taken over the lead in providing direction to the wheat market, as well as the corn and soybean markets. As a result, prices have been moving up and down, depending on the trade’s perception of yield impact.
Summer is when weather is perhaps the most important factor in giving direction to grain markets, and as hot, dry weather swept across much of the Northern Plains in mid-July, it provided a nice boost to corn prices.
The USDA reported in its June 30 Acreage Report that U.S. canola acres will be a record this year, reaching nearly 3 million acres. Acreage in North Dakota, the largest canola-producing state, came in at a record 2.35 million acres, up 30 percent from last year and surpassing the previous re…
While many other markets have struggled recently due to fundamental data issues or geopolitical matters, the soybean market, although it has also struggled, appears to be the odd man out because it’s doing a bit better than the others.
Recent rains that fell over much of the region in late June has helped replenish soil moisture throughout much of the durum growing area of North Dakota and Montana, and, as an added bonus, durum prices are again at a premium to spring wheat.
Mid- to late June is the busiest time of year across the sunflower growing region as farmers push to finish up 2026 planting operations and begin crop protection activities over the next few weeks.
As June was ending and July approached, all grain commodity markets continued to see some pressure, but it seems the wheat markets have taken the brunt of things.
Total corn acres in the U.S. came in slightly higher than expected in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s planted acreage report released on June 30. Corn prices varied before and after the report.
The drop in crude oil prices has caused the price of canola to fall considerably in the past two weeks, following the lead of soybean oil. Canola has dropped approximately 7 percent from recent highs while soybean oil has dropped by 10 percent. Several analysts have been expecting seasonal w…
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