Insights and Stories of Phil Franz-Warkentin

Manitoba farmers “kicking tires” on sunflowers

Jan. 26, 2014 at 1:53 am CST

CNSC — Sunflower acreage in Manitoba may be on the rise in 2014, as early pricing opportunities are favourable and farmers are showing an increased interest in alternative cropping options, according to an industry participant. With prices for most grains and oilseeds grown across Western Canada under pressure by large […]

Canola crush margins keep getting wider

Jan. 24, 2014 at 7:24 pm CST

By Phil Franz-Warkentin

ICE weekly outlook: Logistics issues weigh on canola

Jan. 15, 2014 at 9:12 pm CST

By Phil Franz-Warkentin

U.S. wheat futures grinding lower

Jan. 10, 2014 at 3:50 am CST

By Phil Franz-Warkentin

Canola crush margins very strong

Jan. 7, 2014 at 7:09 pm CST

By Phil Franz-Warkentin

Prairie wheat bids holding steady

Jan. 6, 2014 at 4:32 pm CST

Western Canadian wheat cash bids held relatively steady during the week ended Jan. 6, with slight increases reported from some elevators and slight declines at others. Average spot bids for CWRS (Canada Western Red Spring, 13.5 per cent protein) across Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta came in Monday at around $164 […]

By Phil Franz-Warkentin

Prairie wheat bids stuck in downtrend

Dec. 23, 2013 at 6:09 pm CST

Western Canadian wheat cash bids moved lower during the week ended Dec. 23, following losses seen in U.S. futures markets. Basis levels also widened for Canada Western Red Spring (CWRS) and Canada Prairie Spring Red (CPSR) varieties, which contributed to the price weakness. Average spot bids on Monday for CWRS […]

By Phil Franz-Warkentin

ICE weekly outlook: Canola trending down

Dec. 11, 2013 at 11:19 pm CST

ICE Futures Canada canola contracts dropped sharply lower during the week ended Wednesday, and have more room to the downside as record-large supplies continue to overhang the market and chart signals remain bearish. “Canola has divorced itself from soybeans,” said Jerry Klassen, manager of GAP S.A. Grains and Produits in […]

By Phil Franz-Warkentin

Manitoba’s 2013 corn crop a new record

Dec. 5, 2013 at 8:35 pm CST

Manitoba farmers grew a record-large corn crop this year, as yields ended up well above earlier expectations. Statistics Canada raised its corn production estimate for the province to 1.219 million tonnes in its crop report Wednesday, topping an earlier estimate of 812,800 and the previous record of 815,400 tonnes set […]

By Phil Franz-Warkentin

Hemp production sees steady growth in Canada

Dec. 2, 2013 at 8:10 pm CST

Canada’s hemp growers grew a record-large crop in 2013, and while acreage to the multi-use crop is still very small compared to most other options, further increases are expected next year. The longer-term outlook may see it even compete with canola at some point in the future, from where one […]

By Phil Franz-Warkentin