Bits And Pieces

Ukraine has turned from hot and wet to just hot (38C hot). That should help harvest progress get up to speed, although reports now suggest that what's left of the barley is in urgent need of harvesting before it goes over the top - yet growers are being tempted to get in amongst the rapeseed which is also now ready. A shortage of equipment is the problem. Heavy rains in Crimea have caused losses to winter grains four times higher than a year ago, according to the local Department of Statistics.

Excessive heat and lack of rainfall means that the German wheat crop will fall below 24 MMT, according to the local grain association DBV. The barley harvest hasn't been too bad yet, but lower yields are expected as the harvest concludes onto lighter soils in the north of the country this week, they add.

The wheat harvest is underway in northern France now, with results so far seemingly "not as bad as feared" although things aren't up to where they were 12 months ago.

In Russia it's still hot and dry. Another round of crop production cuts might be on the cards again this week with the weather forecast to stay largely unchanged for the next ten days.

It's all gone quiet in Kazakhstan, with "Stan" remaining frustratingly uncontactable. Based on weather maps I am looking at, things don't look very promising over there at all.

Get this, the Baltic Dry Index was up again last night, that's two days on the trot. It was only up 12 points mind.