• Ontario Grain Market Commentary
• Neonicotinoid impact survey
• 2017 Marketing Seminars
• Fusarium and wheat joint conference
• Youth Engagement Showcase
• Inside Grain Farmers of Ontario
• Annual District Meetings

2016 Cash prices as of noon, December 2 are as follows:
SWW @ $169.01/MT ($4.60/bu),  HRW @ $166.57/MT ($4.53/bu),
HRS @ $215.90/MT/ ($5.88/bu),  SRW @ $171.45/MT ($4.67/bu).

Harvest 2017 prices as of noon, December 2 are as follows:
SWW @ $184.45/MT ($5.02/bu),  HRW @ $182.01/MT ($4.95/bu),
HRS @ $223.48/MT ($6.08/bu),  SRW @ $182.01/MT ($4.95/bu).

Marketing Education
Technical analysis: Candlestick patterns
A doji is a type of candlestick pattern that comes in several variations but is still identifiable by its cross shape. The doji is created when the open and close are equal, so essentially, there is no body on the candlestick. Dojis are almost all wick, however, the main difference in its appearance determines the significance of its direction. There are basically three different examples of a doji formation. The pictures below show the possible end result of a doji formation.
 
Loosely translated, doji means blunder or mistake. It’s said that the pattern got its name because a whole day’s worth of trading just ends up unchanged on the day. However, this is not a mistake. It is portraying a state of confusion and neither the bulls nor the bears dominated that session.
 
For a doji to be created, a day must begin and end with the same price, so a whole lot of trading takes place, but when it’s all said and done, the price is right back where it started. The most significant take-away from a doji candle is where it ends up in relationship to the cross bar. If the cross bar is near the top of the wick, it means that the prices moved much lower on the day but regained their strength to regain the loss by the close of the session. If, however, the crossbar was near the bottom of the wick, it signals that the price gains through the trading period were lost by the end of the session. This in itself is somewhat bearish, but you would really need to reference the previous candles to see the true significance of the doji.
 
Doji patterns are usually associated with a market turn, even though they depict a day where the battle between bulls and bears is fairly equal. Even though the battle for the day is a draw, one side soon overpowers the other.  Although dojis do indicate indecision, in some instances a doji may be more bullish or bearish depending on the price action.
 
Next lesson we will go a bit more in depth on several actual doji formations.

All Grain Farmers of Ontario farmer-members are being asked to participate in a three-year study being conducted by BDO on the impact of the new neonicotinoid seed treatment regulations. Grain Farmers of Ontario wants to determine how these regulations have affected your ability to purchase seed, create a record of crop damage incurred from adhering to the regulations, and measure the increased expenses to farm operations from adhering to the regulations or using alternative products.
 
Check your mailbox! The survey was mailed to you with the December issue of the Ontario Grain Farmer magazine. Please complete the survey and return it via the business reply envelope provided. You can also fill out the survey online at www.gfo.ca/neonicsurvey. •

Grain Farmers of Ontario farmer-members are invited to attend a full-day marketing seminar during the months of January and February. There will be two seminars offered: one will be a combined introductory futures and options seminar and the second one will focus on technical analysis.

Seminars will be led by Marty Hibbs, grain merchandiser with Grain Farmers of Ontario. Hibbs is a 25 year veteran futures trader, analyst, and portfolio manager. He was a regular guest analyst on BNN for four years and is currently authoring the Market Side education series on futures trading basics in the Ontario Grain Farmer magazine.

Pre-registration is required. No walk-ins will be permitted. To reserve a seat call Marty Hibbs
1-800-265-0550; email: mhibbs@gfo.ca; or go online at www.gfo.ca/marketing.

Please note that the dates and locations are tentative and could change. Venue and start time details will be provided through an email with your registration confirmation. •

The 8th 2017 Canadian Workshop on Fusarium Head Blight (CWFHB) and 3rd Canadian Wheat Symposium (CWS) were held between November 20 and 25 in Ottawa, Ontario.  CWFHB highlighted recent developments in breeding for resistance in cereal crops, genomics and genetics of the host and pathogen, mycotoxin detection, epidemiology and disease management, while CWS addressed global issues such as the importance of wheat in feeding the growing world population. 

One of the highlights of the joint conference was a panel discussion to address topics related to the changing landscape of Canadian wheat. The panel included Henry Van Ankum, Grain Farmers of Ontario District 10 (Grey, Bruce, Wellington) director, as one of the participants.  

Both meetings provided an excellent forum for industry stakeholders, including researchers, producers, grain handlers, end users, consumers, and regulators to discuss the latest Canadian and international progress on solving the problems caused by Fusarium species in cereal crops, and in wheat research.

Grain Farmers of Ontario was also represented at the joint conference by Dr. Josh Cowan, manager of research & innovation, and Matthew Czerwinski, research lead. Photo courtesy Robert Saik (@rsaik) •

The Rural Ontario Institute has announced an open call for nominations for the second Youth Engagement Showcase.

The Youth Engagement Showcase will profile compelling stories of youth engagement, highlight the impact youth can have in their local communities, and demonstrate how communities of all shapes and sizes are successfully engaging and supporting youth in addressing local challenges. While this initiative is seeking nominations of individual youth, it is also important to document and highlight programs or organizations that have successfully promoted/enabled youth engagement.

As nominations are gathered from communities across Ontario, a selection committee will identify compelling stories to be profiled on the Rural Ontario Institute website, with a photo and description that showcases the youth’s accomplishments and the community of support around them. Early bird entrants, those who are nominated before January 13, will be considered for one of three invitations to speak as part of a panel at ROMA Speaks, ROMA’s annual conference, to share their story. Four of the nominees who meet the criteria and are profiled on the ROI website will be randomly selected for a $250 prize that will be donated to an organization of the nominee’s choosing. 

Nominees should be under the age of 29 and residing in or actively involved in a rural community. To nominate an Engaged Rural Youth from your community and to read more go to www.ruralontarioinstitute.ca/youthengagementshowcase. •

This week’s episode of Inside Grain Farmers of Ontario is an update from CEO Barry Senft. Senft discusses the harvest, a recent trade mission to China, and the next Agricultural Policy Framework being developed by the Federal Government.
You can watch previous episodes of Inside Grain Farmers of Ontario on our YouTube channel www.youtube.com/user/grainfarmersontario. •

Grain Farmers of Ontario will be holding Annual District Grain Committee Meetings during the month of January. These meetings are called to receive reports, elect the District delegates, alternates, and directors, and conduct other business as may properly come before the annual meeting. All barley, corn, oat, soybean, and wheat farmers are encouraged to attend their local meeting.

To find out when and where your District meeting will be, go to: http://gfo.ca/About-Us/Events/District-Meetings or look in the GFO Newsletter section of your latest Ontario Grain Farmer magazine. •