North America: Barley seeding begins in Canada and advances further in the US amid slight concerns about soil moisture levels

As barley seeding begins in Canada and advances further in the US, attention turns to moisture conditions and planting progress, RMI Analytics said in their latest report.

As we know, getting the crop started on time (or early) correlates directly to better harvest results (yield and quality). Industry observers report some improvement in soil moisture over the past month which helps the planting conditions but the soil moisture profile remains on the dry side, overall. rain and snow providing the needed moisture are also delaying seeding. In the US, planting is 19% completed, versus the long-term average of 35%. North Dakota is 1% seeded versus 9% normally.

RMI Analytics’ production estimate for Canada is reduced slightly to 10.1 mln tonnes as StatsCan estimates only a 1% increase in barley area (RMI is at +4%). Exports are to drop slightly as China demand is anticipated to shift back to Australia, with a minor negative impact for Canada.

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