The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has approved the inclusion of 10 percent camelina meal in layer hen rations. A promoter of the crop hopes that will be enough to convince someone to build a crush facility in Saskatchewan. The CFIA had previously approved camelina meal for broiler chicken rations at levels of up to 12 […] Read more
Sean Pratt
Stories by Sean Pratt
Black Sea wheat looks good
The wheat crop in the Black Sea region is in good shape heading into winter, which is creating the prospect for another big crop in 2017. The region produced a record 114 million tonnes of wheat this year because of good spring and summer growing conditions. UkrAgroConsult is forecasting 54.1 million tonnes of Black Sea […] Read more
Pulse processor optimistic on exports to India
AGT president believes the drop in pulse prices will cause Indian growers to switch to more lucrative crops like wheat
The head of the world’s largest pulse processing company is more optimistic about export prospects to India than some market analysts. Murad Al-Katib, president of AGT Food and Ingredients, believes India’s crop is not going to be nearly as big as the Indian government and analysts are forecasting. India has set a target of 20.75 […] Read more
New food guide has clout to alter eating habits
Health Canada is revising Canada’s food guide for the first time in nearly a decade. Commodity groups are keenly interested in what recommendations will be contained in the new guide because it can have a big impact on consumption patterns. But this time around, the groups won’t have the same influence on shaping the guide […] Read more
Will the U.S. kill the TPP?
There is one important issue where it doesn’t matter whether Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump won this week’s U.S. presidential election. Both candidates were dead set against passing the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement, and that spells the end to the world’s biggest free trade deal, says an international trade lawyer. “Even if other countries started to […] Read more
Canaryseed outlook depends on late harvest success
If farmers manage to harvest their canaryseed crops there should be plenty of supply, but that’s a big if, says an analyst. Saskatchewan Agriculture reports that half of the crop was still in fields as of Oct. 24. Canaryseed and flax are typically the last crops harvested, so it is not unusual for farmers to […] Read more
Feds explore increase in cash advance
Norm Hall is unaccustomed to getting such a quick response to planting a seed. A few weeks ago the president of the Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan met with federal Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay regarding grain transportation concerns. As the minister was rushing out the door to catch a plane, Hall took the opportunity to […] Read more
Is the chickpea crop worth saving?
Three-quarters of Saskatchewan’s chickpea crop remains in the field and is in terrible condition, say analysts. Saskatchewan Agriculture reports that 25 percent of the crop had been combined as of Oct. 24, compared to an average of 82 percent for all crops. “The Canadian chickpea crop is a disaster,” said Marlene Boersch, analyst with Mercantile […] Read more
India preps for record harvest
Analysts are divided over reports of a record-smashing Indian kharif or summer pulse crop harvest. The Indian government estimates farmers will harvest 8.7 million tonnes of pulses this fall, up 22 percent from the previous record. That includes 4.3 million tonnes of pigeon peas, which is 35 percent higher than the previous record for that […] Read more
Chinese wheat subsidies called clear trade violation
China continues to flagrantly violate its World Trade Organization obligations, says U.S. Wheat Associates. The Chinese government set its 2017 state wheat purchase price at 2,360 yuan per tonne last week, which is unchanged from the previous two years. That amounts to $349 US per tonne or $9.50 per bushel, which is about double what […] Read more
