WINNIPEG/PARIS (Reuters) — Canada’s bountiful corn harvest is flowing across the Atlantic into feed rations for Ireland’s cattle herd, even as exporters struggle to move other crops through the bottlenecked Canadian transportation system. Canada, which was a net corn importer until recent years, reaped a record 14.2-million tonne corn crop in 2013. Most of the […] Read more
Stories by Reuters News Service
U.S. House passes long-overdue farm bill
By Eric Beech WASHINGTON, Jan 29 (Reuters) – The U.S. House of Representatives passed a nearly $1 trillion farm bill on Wednesday that cuts food stamps and ends a direct subsidy to farmers, while expanding government-backed crop insurance programs. The measure passed easily by 251 votes to 166. The bill is more than a year […] Read more
Dow Chemical raises stock buyback plan after strong results
(Reuters) — Dow Chemical Co. reported a quarterly profit that comfortably beat market expectations, hiked its dividend and tripled its share buyback program, joining rival DuPont in increasing shareholder returns amid investor activism. Shares of Dow Chemical, the largest U.S. chemical maker by sales, rose as much as six percent in early trading. The company’s […] Read more
Veg oil weakness an issue for crushers
(The author is a Reuters market analyst. The opinions expressed are his own.) By Gavin Maguire CHICAGO, Jan 29 – U.S. soybean oil prices may already be languishing at 3.5-year lows, but additional weakness may still unfold over the coming weeks as the record-large South American soy crop gets harvested to add to soy product […] Read more
CME Livestock — live cattle futures sag on cash price expectations
By Theopolis Waters CHICAGO, Jan 28 (Reuters) – Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures on Tuesday moved downward in anticipation of possibly steady-to-lower cash prices this week, traders said. More cattle are available for sale than a week ago. Packers are reluctant to spend more for supplies to the detriment of their profitable margins. Indications […] Read more
GMO critics protest Monsanto meeting; shareholder resolutions fail
(Reuters) — Critics of genetically modified crops protested at Monsanto Co.’s annual shareholders meeting on Tuesday, calling for the world’s largest seed company to provide a report on contamination in non-GMO crops and to stop fighting mandatory labels on foods containing GMO ingredients. The requests came in the form of two shareholder resolutions that were […] Read more
Natural gas service to resume for chilled Manitoba residents
WINNIPEG, Man. (Reuters) — Natural gas service was set to resume on Tuesday for most of the 4,000 Manitoba residents and businesses left shivering following a TransCanada Corp. pipeline explosion in the Western Canadian province on Saturday. The province has been locked in a deep freeze, with temperatures on Tuesday nearing minus 30 Celsius. Manitoba […] Read more
DuPont sets $5B buy back as farm focus fuels profit
(Reuters) — DuPont’s quarterly profit doubled, beating market estimates, as its strong push into agriculture paid off, and the chemical maker said it would buy back $5 billion in stock. Strong insecticide sales in Latin America and the earlier- than-usual shipment of seeds to farmers in Brazil and North America helped the company’s agriculture unit […] Read more
Congressional negotiators reach deal on U.S. farm bill
WASHINGTON, Jan 27 (Reuters) – Congressional negotiators have reached a bipartisan agreement on the long-overdue U.S. farm bill, and a vote on the legislation could come soon, Senator Debbie Stabenow said on Monday. “We’ve got a bill that makes sense, works for farmers and ranchers and consumers and families that need help, and protects our […] Read more
Piglet-killing PED virus spreads to second Canada farm
By Rod Nickel WINNIPEG, Manitoba, Jan 27 (Reuters) – The piglet-killing Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea virus (PEDv) has spread to a second Canadian farm, government officials said on Monday. A laboratory test confirmed the virus in a barn near Chatham-Kent, Ontario, and another possible case is under investigation in the same area, said Greg Douglas, the […] Read more
