ICE Canola Cash Close – May 8

The following are the closing cash canola prices from ICE Futures. Source: ICE Futures                       Price     Basis     Contract     Change CANOLA *Par Region           681.30   -20.00     Jul 2025     up  7.60 Track Thunder Bay     720.90    20. …

PM market update, May 8, 2025

CBOT soybeans firm, grains lower

SOYBEAN futures at the Chicago Board of Trade moved higher on Thursday, with a rally in soyoil providing support. Weekly U.S. soybean export sales of 376,700 tonnes of old crop business and an additional 9,800 tonnes of new crop were in line with trade …

ICE review: Canola weakens despite tight stocks

The ICE Futures canola market settled with small losses on Thursday after trading within a wide range. Confirmation of tightening supplies provided early support. Statistics Canada reported canola stocks in all positions as of March 31 at 5.9 million …

Hart: Cattle prices are strong in 2025

It appears that there’s no limit to what consumers will pay for beef, which is good news for cattle producers, markets indicate. As of May 2, export sales were 25% higher than the previous week, with international interest not waning anytime soon. “If …

Where have all the bees gone?

-Photo courtesy of the Honey Bee Health Coalition Honey bee hives in Iowa and across the nation are being lost in record numbers. Beekeeping organizations fear that if these losses continue, it will paint a dark picture for agriculture in general since …

Old iron

Three springs ago, a despicable derecho ravaged our region. We eventually engaged a scrap iron guy to haul away some of the wreckage the storm had created at my parents’ farm. It was gratifying to think that the steel from our ruined grain bins was going …

The buzz about this life

It’s not that I sit around thinking about bees. It’s just that I interviewed someone about the epidemic of bee colony losses recently, and it got me thinking about the brevity of life. Ours — and theirs. One man on the phone told me the lifespan of a …

Sharing a love for ag

-Submitted photo Dawn Refsell and Doug Pontious own Mud Creek Farm in rural Polk County near Runnells. They raise beef cattle, chickens and bees, and love upon a collection of “saves and rescues” that include cows, mini donkeys, a mini mule and a mini pony …

Specialist: Don’t graze pastures too early

Cattle producers turning their livestock out to pasture this spring may find that some pasture ground has been impacted by drought conditions and other factors. “Soil moisture is definitely a concern as that will put pressure on many of our perennials, as …