The industry calls the Ecofiscal Commission’s report on the cost of biofuel support ‘skewed, flawed and unacceptable’
Canada’s biofuel industry is outraged by a report calling for an end to government subsidies and mandates for the sector. Canada’s Ecofiscal Commission, a group of independent economists promoting fiscal policy reform, said the country is on the verge of a significant shift in climate policy and it is time to examine older policies to […] Read more
Sean Pratt
Stories by Sean Pratt
Craft breweries revitalize barley sector
The craft brewery revolution has transformed barley and hops demand, say experts. The United States is the mecca of craft beer with an estimated 4,144 breweries. The next largest market is the United Kingdom with 723. Canada ranks sixth at 483, according to Alltech, an animal health company that also owns a brewery. Craft breweries […] Read more
Bin busting wheat harvest
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s latest quarterly stocks report was devoid of the usual surprises. “Today’s report was fairly tame compared to many Sept. 30 reports that we’ve had,” said Arlan Suderman, chief commodities economist with INTL FCStone. The one number that caught most analysts off guard was U.S. wheat stocks of 2.527 billion bushels […] Read more
Fertilizer price slump ideal time to expand: Agrium
CEO says it made sense during the low of the price cycle to merge with PotashCorp to speed retail growth
Farmers might want to give up on guessing when fertilizer prices will bottom out and head back up. Even the chief executive officer of what will be the world’s largest fertilizer company is in the dark on that one. “We get asked that question an awful lot, and the short answer is we don’t know,” […] Read more
Pulses get waiver extension
Pulse exporters are breathing a sigh of relief after India granted a last-minute extension to a phytosanitary policy waiver. India has a blanket requirement that all pulse imports must be fumigated to ensure there is no presence of certain quarantine pests. The policy states that fumigation has to occur at origin. However, India has provided […] Read more
Russia may steal wheat markets
Traditional wheat exporters will face a swelling tide of Russian wheat exports in the coming years, according to a new report. The Australian Export Grains Innovation Centre (AEGIC) is forecasting 32.5 million tonnes of exports by 2030, up 50 percent from the 21.7 million tonnes Russia shipped last year. “Increased grain production and exports from […] Read more
U.S. farm groups unfazed by recent mergers
Some of the bigger organizations actually see benefits in the proposed consolidation in the chemical and seed sector
Some of the biggest farm organizations in the United States are surprisingly at ease with all the mergers going on in the crop input business. A number of them testified last week at the U.S. Senate judiciary committee’s hearings on consolidation in the seed and agrochemical industry. The American Farm Bureau, which is the largest […] Read moreFarm groups welcome trade talks with China
Farm groups are thrilled with the news that Canada has begun exploratory free trade talks with China. “China is the world’s largest banquet and we want Canada to be the caterer,” said Canadian Agri-Food Trade Alliance president Brian Innes. “With this step forward we are closer to taking advantage of a huge opportunity to increase […] Read more
Canola council mum on dockage deal
Since this story went to print the Canola Council of Canada has released a statement. You can find that press release here. The canola industry response to news of a reprieve in its dockage dispute with China has been muted. The Canadian government announced last week it had signed a memorandum of understanding with China […] Read more
Monsanto takeover faces tough road
Bayer’s US$66 billion bid for the American company faces opposition among grower groups in Canada and the U.S.
CORRECTION – This story has been edited from its original format. This story contained proprietary information that was inadvertently provided to the Western Producer. That information has been removed. Bayer’s takeover of Monsanto would create a near-monopoly player in the canola industry, drive up seed prices and stifle innovation, say farm groups and analysts. The […] Read more
