World wheat markets continued to move lower at the beginning of the week, extending the trend we have seen since the beginning of 2019. Speculative funds took their short positions to over 120,000 contracts in US wheat futures markets, leaving them technically very oversold and due a bounce. The funds seem driven by the poor US wheat export pace an...

​Most of the farmers I know keep a watchful eye on commodity prices and use a variety of methods to do so. The method chosen is down to personal choice; it could be speaking to a farm trader, scrolling through Twitter or checking online via the farming press. Making that proactive choice to check; 'Has the grain market gone up, down or even remaine...

​Wheat For the first time in a while, futures markets closed yesterday slightly firmer in the UK, EU and USA despite nothing fundamentally bullish to fuel the support. In the USA, widespread freezing conditions and snow continue to cause logistical issues for the transportation of grains which has increased nearby delivered prices. However, crops u...

Global markets weaken World wheat markets started notably weaker this week, led lower by the US CBOT wheat futures that dropped to a 13-month low yesterday. The US is failing to secure sufficient trade to help them meet export targets and they need to be more competitive. This was highlighted by recent tenders where both Syria and Bangladesh opted ...

Friday's USDA report threw us no real surprises in terms of global supply and demand. As a result, the market's focus returned to cash wheat prices around the world. It feels as though the pace of Russian export business is beginning to dwindle, with origins such as the USA, Ukraine and even France beginning compete. This may go some way to making ...

UK grain prices are flat as market forces work against one another UK wheat values remain stuck in a narrow range as two major factors continue to cancel each other out. Sterling has firmed from £1.11 to £1.15 versus the euro since 10th January and this should have caused a loss for UK wheat values. Instead, EU markets have been given a lift by con...

World markets were quiet on Monday as US trade closed for Martin Luther King Jr Day. This coupled with the continued government shutdown in the US means that there is still no January report from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). This makes for slim reading of key export data which has significant influence over the old crop market at this t...

WHEAT Global markets US and EU markets started the new year trading firmer, led by stronger US wheat prices which are now able to compete against cheaper origins with the prospect of increasing exports. However, the Russian Agricultural Ministry have increased wheat production figures by two million tonnes to 72 million. This means that despite hig...

This blog was first featured as an article in the December issue of Three Counties Farmer:​ By my own admission, I don't have the best track record of sticking to New Year's resolutions. Whilst they are (in theory) usually easy to achieve, they aren't necessarily life changing and it would be a fairly safe bet to say that, by April, I'll have broke...

Selling via pools helps to take away some of the risk associated with trading in an open market. They can form a key part of your grain marketing strategy and are a sensible option at a time when so many factors are impacting prices. Committing to a grain pool, however, requires some considerable thought. Before you enter into a contract with a mer...

World markets US wheat futures have traded down to six-week lows. This is partly due to poor US export figures but, for the most part, is lead by politics. A two-month high in the US dollar is weighing on US wheat, as are falling equity and crude oil markets. A number of weather issues have been impacting grain markets but these are now well accoun...

This blog was first featured as an article in the October issue of Three Counties Farmer: There are few jobs that could be classed as 24/7, 365 days a year but farming is one of them. For those who sell their combinable crops, the grain market is ever changing and the global markets also sit within this 'open all hours' bracket. We often draw paral...

World markets: US wheat futures continued to slide yesterday. The fund sell off that started with the USDA report last Wednesday night has continued into the start of this week, keeping the negative tone in wheat markets. The trade war between the US and China has returned to the headlines, as President Trump imposes new tariffs on the equivalent o...

World markets: US wheat dropped sharply after yesterday's United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) report; corn numbers were the biggest driver in grains and the numbers were very bearish. US corn yields were raised to 181.3 bushels per acre which was well above the trade's estimates. Eight states were seen as producing record yields and this...

World markets: US wheat started the week stronger yesterday, supported by a downgrade to the Australian crop from the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES) and more speculation about possible Russian export restrictions. US exports are currently running 31% down from last year's pace – a restriction to Russi...

World Markets: The US was closed yesterday for their Labor Day holiday, but traded lower on the overnight session following news from Russia that counteracted last week's ideas of export restrictions. The Russian Ministry of Agriculture said yesterday that they do not consider it necessary to introduce export duties or restrictions but they are con...

World Markets: US wheat started last week lower, pressured by funds exiting long positions in wheat. However, midweek saw some support come back into the market, lifting it to a higher close over the week. The lift came from Russia's announcement to cap wheat exports at 25 million tonnes and an all-grains total of 30 million tonnes. The USDA curren...

World Markets US wheat has been falling sharply this week. Yesterday, losses were smaller but direction was still downwards. US funds had built up significant long positions in Chicago wheat and have been selling heavily to reduce these longs. Australia had some rain over the weekend which can only be a good thing, although there are mixed reports ...

 World Markets US wheat fell yesterday following the negative impact of Friday's bearish USDA report. The USDA was expected to reduce global wheat production significantly in light of numerous downgrades from other regions over recent weeks. In the end, global wheat production was revised on Friday evening but only down by 6.6 million mt. Aust...

This blog was first featured as an article in the August issue of Three Counties Farmer Since beginning these monthly columns back in March, I think we've experienced almost every weather condition Mother Nature could throw at us. At times I've written this while watching the snow settle ever deeper and the winds get bitterly cold. I've witnessed w...