GFO Newsletter for March 2015
GET THE LATEST NEWS FROM GRAIN FARMERS OF ONTARIO
Visit the Grain Farmers of Ontario booth at these events
London Farm Show – March 4,5,6; The Agriplex, booth 728X.
Ottawa Valley Farm Show – March 10,11,12; Ernst&Young Centre, booth 2510 •
Guide to early season field crop pests
Copies of the Guide to Early Season Field Crop Pests are still available by calling Grain Farmers of Ontario at 1-800-265-0550. An e-book version is also available at www.gfo.ca/pestguide.
The guidebook provides key information about the identification of insects and control recommendations. The guide is also aimed at helping farmers and crop advisors identify some of the high risk factors for the pests.
The goal is to work towards a more integrated pest management (IPM) approach and a more prescriptive use of insecticides to control pests, including insects that are targeted with neonicotinoid seed treatments. Practicing IPM when choosing seed treatments is one of the best management practices promoted by Grain Farmers of Ontario to help mitigate the risk to pollinators. •
Nuffield Scholarship
Grain Farmers of Ontario is sponsoring a 2015 Nuffield Scholarship to an Ontario farmer or grain industry representative. The recipient will receive $15,000 to support their travel and will be expected to explore an area of study that will provide direct benefit back to the grain industry.
The Nuffield Agricultural Scholarship Program develops leaders that are often at the forefront of the agricultural industry. The scholarship process accelerates skills and leadership abilities, and increases the scope of a scholar’s potential impact on both their own business and their sector as a whole. The program involves 10 weeks of international study, six of which need to be completed consecutively. The scholarship recipient will have two years to complete the program.
Applications for the Grain Farmers of Ontario Nuffield Scholarship must be submitted to Nuffield Canada by April 30, 2015. More information and an application form can be found online at www.nuffield.ca. •
Market Commentary
by Philip Shaw
South American weather remains favourable for crop production and as long as this is sustained it is hard to break the overall bearishness in grain futures markets. The U.S. dollar has also been a detriment to grain futures prices rising to 11-year highs impeding commodity demand. Despite reaching four-week lows in late January, futures prices rebounded slightly into February. This was partly because the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) actually decreased Brazil soybeans production down to 93 MMT from an earlier projection of 95.5 MMT.
The big story in Ontario grains remains the precipitous drop in the Canadian dollar, which reached .78810 U.S. on January 30. This has increased cash basis levels throughout Ontario, cushioning some of the futures values decline over 2014. •
