IGC: Bumper corn crop expected in 2025-26
With a bumper corn crop expected, the International Grains Council (IGC) forecasts global grains production in the 2025-26 marketing year at a record 2.373 billion tonnes. In its April Grain Market Report, the IGC revised its corn output projection to a record 1.274 billion tonnes, while forecasts for wheat and rice remained roughly the same...
Tariffs provoke uncertainty for commodities as traders balk
Agriculture industry analysts say the constantly shifting landscape of US tariffs, retaliatory actions, reciprocal tariffs, and possible delays makes the uncertainty of the situation almost as bad as the tariffs themselves. “It gets very difficult to price a product,” said Tanner Ehmke, grains and oilseeds economist with CoBank. “Are we going to have a tariff...
Rains slow Brazilian soybean harvest
Excessive rains have bogged down Brazil’s soybean harvest for the 2024-25 season, and unfavourable weather has delayed the planting of the second corn crop, Reuters reported, citing agribusiness consultancy AgRural. As of Jan. 17, farmers had harvested just 1.7% of the planted area for the current season, the lowest level for this time of year since...
Heat, dryness expected in Brazil
Most of the commodity trade fear of La Niña negatively influencing South America has passed. Weather conditions since the end of October have been mostly very good in Brazil and Argentina and the market mentality has been more bearish than bullish over futures prices; however, changing weather this month is likely to bring a little...
Russia to cut wheat exports
Reuters reported, citing the Russian government, that Russia, the world’s leading exporter, plans to cut its wheat export quota by two-thirds in 2025. It will also hike wheat export duties by over 18% beginning Dec. 4, 2024, and eliminate import quotas for some staple foods. The Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) Council said Russia’s export quotas...
Renewables, Trade segments boost The Andersons earnings
Strong renewables production and improved results in the Trade segment boosted The Andersons net income attributable to the company to $27 million, equal to 80¢ per share on the common stock, for the third quarter ended Sept. 30, up from $9.7 million, or 28¢ per share, in the same quarter a year earlier. “Overall, we...
Russian missiles strike grain ships
A Russian missile struck a grain vessel docked at the Port of Odesa on Oct. 7, killing one person and injuring five crew members, Reuters reported, citing Ukrainian officials. It was the second attack on a docked grain ship in Ukraine in as many days, as a vessel at the nearby Port of Pivdennyi carrying 6,000 tonnes...
India ends non-basmati rice export ban
The Indian government will resume non-basmati white rice exports with a minimum floor price of $490 per tonne, ending a ban that started in July 2023. The government has gradually eased restrictions on premium, aromatic basmati and parboiled varieties in the last several weeks. It eliminated the minimum floor price for basmati rice exports and...
Grains and oilseeds powerhouse
The presence of two of the world’s most important agricultural producers and exporters — Brazil and Argentina — makes South America a powerhouse of world grains and oilseeds production and trade. The two make the region the leader in world soybean production, also producing large crops of maize (corn) and a significant tonnage of wheat....
US confined space incidents decrease in 2023
According to researchers at Purdue University, the number of documented agricultural confined space incidents in the United States decreased 34% in 2023 compared to the previous year. The total was also down from the five-year and 10-year average. Purdue University’s Agricultural and Biological Engineering Department has documented and investigated incidents involving grain storage and handling...