By Alice McFarlane

Agriculture Roundup for Tuesday July 21, 2020

Jul 21, 2020 | 10:20 AM

MELFORT, Sask. – The grain markets were trading lower as a result of the latest U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) crop ratings report.

Corn and soy futures fell this morning after the USDA said the condition of both U.S. crops was better than expected.

Wheat dropped as global demand was assessed and the U.S. harvest continued to progress rapidly.

Corn was unchanged with 69 per cent of the crop rated good to excellent, soybeans improved by one per cent and is also good to excellent.

Exceed Grain Marketing senior analyst Wayne Palmer said another factor weighing on prices is all North American grain crops are enjoying very good grain growing weather.

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He said the large 2019 carry over stocks coupled with the potential for a 2020 block buster crop does not bode well for corn prices.

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Farmers have been reaching out to the experts for some help identifying problems in their fields.

This has kept the staff at Saskatchewan’s Crop Protection Lab busy.

Manager Scott Hartley said most samples relate to environmental conditions from drought to wind damage.

He said there has been a lot of twisting and flipping of the plants that look like disease but ultimately is drought stress.

Hartley said there have also been damage from herbicide carryover, insects, and root rot.

Full information on how to send samples into the lab can be found here.

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The Western Canadian Wheat Growers recently surveyed the four Conservative Party leadership candidates regarding their position on six specific agriculture policies.

Candidates were asked about their priorities for farmers and the agriculture industry on the Prairies, their position on free and competitive markets in international trade, the carbon pricing system, and grain transportation.

The responses are available here. The website will be updated as candidates respond.

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alice.mcfarlane@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @AliceMcF