Agriculture This Week: War changes how markets view crop supply

You would hope trade would generally work unfettered as a supply and demand system. 

If supplies are short demand should respond with better prices, and vice versa. 

For farm production we like to think that is the way things work best, but supply and demand is too often trumped by outside forces. 

Sometimes those forces are governments interfering on trade with tariffs and taxes to bolster domestic farm incomes, or limit exports, or to put pressure on other governments. 

Then there are times war sends shudders of concern through those involved in trade and that creates a huge wild card in terms of free-flowing trade.