The Agri Post
Durum Could be Sleeper By Les Kletke A Senior Durum Merchandiser with a major American grain firm says that durum markets will be worth watching for the next crop year. John Griffith is a Senior Merchandiser with CHS Inc. and told the Grain World Conference in Winnipeg that durum markets could be very strong this year. “The U.S. will not reach the USDA goal this year, and the crop will not be adequate for the global demand. The marked will have to adjust to meet the demand.” Said Griffith. He expressed that demand from Morocco and Spain will be key and the impact on the world price will be dependent on the crop in Spain, “Spain could have a good crop and a lot will depend on the weather.” Griffith said, production is down in the U.S., but up by an almost equal amount in Mexico and production in Canada has decreased. “The U.S. production has declined by about 20% and even a small decline now has a greater impact as the supply gets tighter.” He noted. “Canadian production is expected to decline by 8% and that could be a factor in the market.” He said that pasta producers had been slow to lock in a price and tend to wait for a drop in the market as harvest begins but that could backfire on them this year as production drops off and the supply is not there to meet the demand for durum flour. “The European Union is down to minimum production levels and that could make for a very tight market.” Al Lyons, President of Prairie Horizons and a former agricultural economics professor at the University of Manitoba chairing the Wheat Market outlook panel said in his opening remarks that the wheat market is in a time of evolution. Lyons is well known for his views of challenging the Canadian Wheat Board (CWB) and commented that the marketing system will continue to develop in the absence of the Board’s monopoly. Producers should be aware of unique situations that develop for spot markets. Durum wheat could be a commodity that will see some unique opportunities in the next crop year.
MB Canola Growers Elects Officers
March 29, 2013
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The Manitoba Canola Growers Association (MCGA) held its reorganization meeting recently and has chosen Ed Rempel from Starbuck as President. “I am excited to be MCGA’s President for the upcoming year and look forward to meeting as many members as possible,” stated Ed Rempel. Brian Chorney from East Selkirk was elected as Vice-President, Hugh Drake from Elkhorn was elected as Treasurer and Wilfred (Butch) Harder from Lowe Farm was elected as Secretary.