Ukraine

According to a recent analysis by U.S. Wheat Associates, since the highs of 2021, freight prices have dropped to lows not seen since June 2020.  Coupled with a recent break in wheat prices, decreased ocean freight costs have helped turn the tides back in the importers' favor.   ...

As Canadian farmers plan their operating costs for another planting season, a major consideration is the extremely high cost of fertilizer inputs.  This past spring already expensive fertilizer prices took another last-minute increase when the Canadian government announced import tariff charges just weeks before planting season.  ...

Oil prices climbed slightly over the past two weeks following the news that Russia is going to trim oil production in the months ahead.  Patrick DeHaan with GasBuddy said while Russian oil is facing sanctions because of the invasion of Ukraine, that does not mean this production cut won’t impact international prices.   “Much ...

According to ERS, Ukraine's corn and wheat exports have almost returned to seasonal-average levels since the summer of 2022.  The change follows the Black Sea Grain Initiative to reopen the Black Sea shipping routes.  Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 led to elevated security risks and infrastructure damage, causing Ukraine's seaports to be almost completely cut off from March through

In some ways, 2023 will be very similar to 2022 when it comes to the farm economy.  But in other ways, it’s expected to be very different.  One of those differences will be the supply chain, which has made strong improvements over the past 3-4 months, removing some of the uncertainty farmers faced last year.  And input costs, includ...

Nearly every year for the past century, or so, U.S. wheat growers have gradually reduced wheat plantings.  For example, growers cut plantings this past year by about a million acres but, perhaps that trend is turning around for 2023.   “...

Consumers enjoyed a bit of relief at both the gas and diesel pump to wrap up 2022.  Fuel prices started to fall in some locations in early November, and continued through December, thanks to dropping oil prices, and economic uncertainty both in the U.S., but a...

When Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24th of this year, ag trade was sent into a tizzy, thanks to not only the anxiety by volatility as well.  USDA chief economist Seth Meyer said the resulting high commodity prices played a part in helping raise U.S. farm i...

West Texas Crude traded around $71 per barrel in last week’s trade, the lowest level we’ve seen in roughly a year.  Patrick DeHaan with GasBuddy said the economic uncertainty that has pushed oil prices lower for the past two-plus months continues to weigh on the minds of investors.  He said while there’...

Fertilizer consumption suffered in 2022 due to market volatility and record-high prices.  However, a new Rabobank report says a recovery in consumption is possible in some regions next year, with fertilizer prices lowering and commodity prices at historically high levels.   “...