Canadian National Railway is reducing costs to stave off an investor revolt while Canadian Pacific Railway faces significant debt after buying Kansas City Southern. It is a potentially dangerous situation for shippers such as grain growers. | File photo

Farmers face impact of cost-cutting at country’s railways

Editor’s Note: This column should have noted that the CP takeover of KCS has not been completed and isn’t expected to receive regulatory approval until the second half of 2022. Until approval, the two companies will continue to operate separately. Canada’s two main railways, Canadian National Railway and Canadian Pacific Railway, hauled a lot of […] Read more

It’s no surprise November canola futures last week closed at a contract high of about $927 per tonne given an estimated national average yield of only 25.3 bushels and acres, the lowest since 2002 due to drought and heat. | File photo

Canola flies away from its relationship with soybeans

Canola prices have soared this season and have mostly divorced from their usual connections with the soybean complex. It’s no surprise November canola futures last week closed at a contract high of about $927 per tonne given an estimated national average yield of only 25.3 bushels and acres, the lowest since 2002 due to drought […] Read more

The North American Meat Institute cited an academic report that said large packing plants benefit cattle producers because economies of size largely offset the costs associated with market power exerted by packers. | Reuters/Shannon Stapleton photo

U.S. lawmakers rethink packer concentration

House of Representatives ag committee hears that building more slaughter plants would be hampered by labour shortage

The battle over packing industry concentration recently played out in front of the U.S. Congress. The House of Representatives agriculture committee heard comments from U.S. ag secretary Tom Vilsack, packing industry representatives and economists on the role of government in meat markets and the beef supply chain. The battle has been going on for months […] Read more


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 production back then, and export prospects were also about the same. | File photo

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

Canfax report

This cattle market information is selected from the weekly report from Canfax, a division of the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association. More market information, analysis and statistics are available by becoming a Canfax subscriber by calling 403-275-5110 or at www.canfax.ca. Stable fed price Western Canadian fed prices have gone sideways for the past six weeks with prices […] Read more


WP livestock report

Hogs The U.S. national live price average for barrows and gilts was $54.71 Oct. 8, down from $58.42 Oct. 1. U.S. hogs averaged $69.26 on a carcass basis Oct. 8, down from $72.92 Oct. 1. The U.S. pork cutout was $106.99 per hundredweight Oct. 8, up from $113.39 Oct. 1. The estimated U.S. weekly slaughter […] Read more




"Food security has taken centre stage after COVID-19 and Kazakhstan has great possibilities in agriculture," economy minister Aset Irgaliyev said. | Reuters/Shamil Zhumatov photo

Kazakhstan bets on construction, agriculture as growth drivers

NUR-SULTAN, Oct 12 (Reuters) – Kazakhstan hopes that foreign investment and a construction boom will help its economic growth accelerate to more than 5 percent by 2023, economy minister Aset Irgaliyev told Reuters. The oil-exporting Central Asian nation’s economy is expected to grow 3.7-4.0 percent this year, Irgaliyev said in an interview. Next year, the […] Read more

An Israeli company hopes its new high-protein yellow pea variety can be registered next year and commercialized for 2023. | File photo

High-protein yellow pea almost ready

An Israeli crop-breeding firm is getting close to commercializing a high-protein yellow pea for the Canadian market. “We have lines that are around 30 percent more than you can find in the varieties that are grown now in North America,” said Avichai Amrad, project and partnership manager with Equinom. Those varieties just finished the first […] Read more