Summer Months Key In Determining 2021/22 Price Structure

Apr 28, 2021

The chief market analyst with FarmLink Marketing Solutions is weighing in on the rise in ag market prices.

"We've got kind of the best of both worlds," said Neil Townsend. "We've got a lot of the crops that we particularly grow in western Canada, have seen strong prices throughout most of the marketing year. Some of that has been frustrating with the dire lack of containers for some of the smaller crops that like to travel through that. Basically, the bottom line is that until we have a better read on what U.S. corn or soybean yield might be, we're going to be supported from the big U.S. corn belt crops."

Townsend believes the U.S. is nervous for two reasons.

"A - They don't see enough acres being planted and B, just because the conditions are not optimal. That doesn't mean they're bad, it just means they're not optimal. I'm always a little worried when you have a big rally, just in the planting sequence because more times than not, like 99 out of 100, you get the crop planted. We don't know what the weather is going to be like in June, July or August, but I would really focus farmers' attention on those three months. June for a lot of the crops in Canada, July for the U.S. corn and August for U.S. soybeans. Ultimately, the price structure that we face in 2021/22 is going to be dictated by those three months."

Click here to see more...

Video: Jim Smalley: The Voice That Defined Saskatchewan Agriculture Journalism | CKRM 100th Anniversary

Our next 620 CKRM Icon is Jim Smalley. Jim reflects on his remarkable career, from his early days in Ontario and his first steps into news, to his move west and his lasting impact on Saskatchewan’s airwaves.

After joining CKRM in 1982, Jim spent more than four decades as one of the province’s most trusted and recognizable voices. Jim defined agricultural journalism — not just in Saskatchewan, but across Canada. His commitment to telling the stories of farmers, rural communities, and the people behind the headlines set the standard. Now retired from the newsroom that proudly bears his name, Jim shares memorable stories from his time on air. A broadcaster, a storyteller, and a true voice of Saskatchewan — Jim Smalley’s legacy continues to resonate at CKRM and beyond.