Devalued money encourages farmers to sell cheap and expand acres, increasing global supply
Continued currency devaluation among key grain exporters will drive down grain and oilseed prices in 2015-16, says a risk management consultant. “Prices are going to drift lower,” said Mike O’dea, a consultant with FCStone. “I really think people need to do something to protect the downside.” Weaker currencies mean that on-farm prices of corn, soybeans […] Read more
Sean Pratt
Stories by Sean Pratt
Be wary of Black Sea competition, wheat growers told
Canada must remain vigilant and deliver consistent quality, says official
The Canadian wheat industry is ignoring at its peril a mounting quality challenge from the Black Sea region, says the CWB. North America has this outdated notion that wheat from Ukraine and Russia is inferior, said Neil Town-send, director of CWB Market Research. “This is a good quality wheat that’s almost better and more desirable […] Read moreGovernment can do more to support exports, says think-tank
Targeting supply management, official with the Macdonald-Laurier Institute says Canada is losing global market share
Canada has what it takes to be a world agricultural superpower but is held back by an out-of-date federal agricultural policy, according to a public policy think-tank. It has the third largest amount of arable land per capita in the world, which is more than double most of its competitors. It has good quality soil, […] Read moreLand investment plan rejected by Farm Land Security Board
Judge says a company that lends farmers money to ‘own’ land, but reaps revenue and capital appreciation, is in fact, the landholder
A judge has ruled in favour of Sask-atchewan’s Farm Land Security Board in a case that could have redefined how land is sold in the province. Skyline Agriculture wanted to lend Saskatchewan farmers the money to buy farmland and then provide a land value hedge against the risk of changing land values. Skyline would assume […] Read more
Growers unlikely to see wheat rally
Improving global winter wheat prospects and expectations for another strong export program out of the former Soviet Union will keep a lid on prices, says CWB. “It’s very hard to see an imminent, sustainable price rally,” said Neil Townsend, director of CWB Market Research. “We need to see significantly worse weather somewhere.” Townsend spent the […] Read more
Land price rise slows
The rate of increase in farmland values declined last year, and that will likely be the trend, says Farm Credit Canada. The average nationwide increase was 14.3 percent, down from 22.1 percent in 2013 and 19.5 percent in 2012. “While the increases are still significant in many parts of the country, they do suggest we […] Read more
New seed treatment registered for devastating pulse disease
The first seed treatment to combat aphanomyces is on the market. Intego Solo received full registration for use on lentils, chickpeas, beans and soybeans late last year. It is the only Group 22 seed treatment or fungicide registered for pulses in Canada. It is also registered for cereals and oilseeds. Nufarm Agriculture also received emergency […] Read more
Growers want help going organic
The European Union and the United States help pay farmers for transition costs
The organic sector wants the federal government to provide funding for growers making the transition from conventional agriculture. Representatives of the Canada Organic Trade Association recently appeared before the Senate’s agriculture and forestry committee to make the case for transition funding. Matthew Holmes, executive director of the association, told the committee that global organic sales […] Read moreEU hints at allowing members to ban biotech
The European Parliament has already approved an opt-out policy on the cultivation of GM crops
Farm groups are upset that the European Commission is rumoured to be contemplating allowing member states to reject food and feed imports containing approved biotechnology traits. “We’re really concerned about this rumoured option for member states to opt out of a science based approval process,” said Brian Innes, vice-president of government relations with the Canola […] Read moreHike in pea, lentil exports may lead to supply shortage
Grain traders forecast hike in pea and lentil acres this year due to strong demand
Pulse processors will be running out of product this summer. A brisk export program has led to dwindling North American supplies, said Murad Al-Katib, president of AGT Food and Ingredients. Canada shipped 2.11 million tonnes of peas and 1.35 million tonnes of lentils between Aug. 1 and Feb. 28, up from 1.65 million tonnes of […] Read more
