BEIJING, Oct 18 (Reuters) – China’s third-quarter pork production surged to its highest in three years, official data showed on Monday, after producers built thousands of large breeding farms last year to rebuild a hog herd decimated by African swine fever. Pork output for July-September was 12.02 million tonnes, up 43 percent compared with a […] Read more
Crops — page 2
Australian farmers sidestep Chinese tariff hit with record canola crop
SYDNEY/SINGAPORE, (Reuters) – When top barley buyer China last year slapped tariffs of more than 80 percent on imports from Australia amid a bilateral spat, grain farmers Down Under could have been forgiven for fearing tough times ahead. But a switch to canola, combined with ideal growing conditions and near record prices for the yellow-flowering […] Read more
Smoking hot U.S. soybean oil prices cool off
United States soybean oil prices have cooled off from their smoking hot summer highs. Prices that topped 70 cents U.S. per pound in June were around 60 cents as of mid-October due to lower-than-anticipated demand, says an analyst. “We’re in an interesting situation with the U.S. soybean oil balance sheet, there’s no doubt about that,” […] Read more
Egypt has five months of wheat reserves – Ministry official
Cairo Oct 18 (Reuters) – Egypt, the world’s largest wheat buyer, has strategic wheat reserves sufficient for five months of consumption, the head of the internal trade development authority told Reuters on Monday. Ibrahim Ashmawi also said the country’s strategic reserves of sugar are sufficient for six months, while rice reserves are sufficient for three […] Read more
Supply chain problems contribute to fertilizer worries
Matt Conacher has important advice for western Canadian farmers. “Over the next few months buy a good portion of your fertilizer needs and, if you can, bring it to farm to assure your supply,” said the senior manager of fertilizer with Federated Co-operatives Limited. All macro-nutrients are in short supply for a variety of reasons, […] Read more
Roundup Ready canola patent set to expire
The most controversial patent in all of agriculture will cease to exist next year. Bayer’s Roundup Ready canola patent expires on April 26, 2022. It was at the heart of a lengthy legal battle between Monsanto, which owned the patent before being acquired by Bayer in 2018, and Bruno, Sask., farmer Percy Schmeiser. The case […] Read more
Wheat prices expected to peak this winter
The tightness in high protein wheat markets bodes well for spring wheat prices, but farmers might have to wait until mid-winter to see the peak, says an analyst. Brennan Turner, chief executive officer of the crop marketing hub Combyne, said this year is reminiscent of 2007-08. Canada had a similar disappointing level of spring wheat […] Read more
Aggressive weed finds its way to Prairies
With up to a million seeds and herbicide resistance to Groups 2, 3, 5, 9 and 27, this new Prairie weed is serious
The most troublesome herbicide-resistant weed in the United States has crossed the 49th parallel. DNA testing has confirmed the presence of Palmer amaranth in samples collected near Carman, Man., in the Rural Municipality of Dufferin. Palmer is among three pigweed species on Manitoba’s tier one noxious weeds list, the others being tall waterhemp and smooth […] Read more
Ag game changing and the intelligence is inside
Artificial intelligence in agriculture is at the technology farmgate with machines that think like farmers
Artificial intelligence is on the cusp of causing a sea change in agriculture that promises to quickly challenge conventional crop-production and farm management techniques. Many components required to build autonomous, smart agricultural equipment for vegetable and grain production in North America are already proven technologies. Sensors including camera, lidar, and radar, as well as components […] Read more
Iran buying record volume of wheat after worst drought in 50 years – sources
LONDON/MOSCOW/HAMBURG, Oct 13 (Reuters) – Iran needs to buy a record 8 million tonnes of wheat in the current season, Iranian industry sources said, after its domestic crop was hit by drought, while the jump in imports will coincide with high global grain prices adding to pressures on the country’s finances. Bread is a staple […] Read more
