As harvest starts, eyes on end-users’ timing

Sep 21, 2023

It’s harvest time so grain is starting to restock the pipeline, said Don Roose, market analyst with U.S. Commodities in Des Moines.

“The big question is when does the end-user step in and start buying,” he said.

Early harvest corn yields are better than expected. In Iowa, Nebraska and Minnesota, yields are the most variable, and in the Dakotas they are pretty good, Roose said. Even in droughty parts of Iowa, early yields aren’t as low as expected.

“For the conditions we had, they are surprised with the yields,” Roose said.

End-users are watching. They decide when the stock is low enough to spook them into buying, he said.

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Video: Why Invest in Canada’s Seed Future? | On The Brink: Episode 3

Darcy Unger just invested millions to build a brand-new seed plant on his farm in Stonewall, Manitoba so when it’s time for his sons to take over, they have the tools they need to succeed.

Right now, 95% of the genetics they’ll be growing come from Canadian plant breeders.

That number matters.

When fusarium hit Western Canada in the late 90s, it was Canadian breeders who responded, because they understood Canadian conditions. That ability to react quickly to what’s happening on Canadian farms is exactly what’s at risk when breeding programs lose funding.

For farmers like Darcy, who have made generational investments based on the assumption that better genetics will keep coming, the stakes are direct and personal.

We’re on the brink of decisions that will shape our agricultural future for not only our generation, but also the ones to come.

What direction will we choose?

On The Brink is a year-long video series traveling across Canada to meet the researchers, breeders, farmers, seed companies, and policymakers shaping the future of Canadian plant breeding. Each week, a new story. Each story, a piece of the bigger picture.

Episode 3 is above. Follow Seed World Canada to catch every episode, and tell us: Do you think the next generation will have the tools they need to success when they takeover? How is the future going to look?