CHICAGO, Jan 3 (Reuters) – Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hogs settled lower on Tuesday after profit-taking and fund liquidation dropped futures from an early-session four-month high, said traders. February hogs ended 2.650 cents per pound lower at 63.500 cents. April closed down 1.175 cents to 66.900 cents. Both contracts finished below their respective 10-day moving […] Read more
Markets
CME lean hog futures retreat from 4-month high
‘Year of pulses’ comes to a close, brought awareness, adversity
Winnipeg, December 30 (CNS Canada) – There’s only a couple days left in 2016, dubbed the International Year of Pulses by the United Nations. In its simplest form, the title was meant to foster awareness about members of the legume family. But the year was also marked by its share of uncertainty and adversity in […] Read more

Yield-boosting hybrid wheat varieties on the horizon
Farmers in Western Canada have always relied on innovation to make their farms more productive and more profitable. From mechanical innovations such as combine harvesters and rubber wheeled tractors nearly a century ago to the adoption more recently of chemical weed control products, genetically modified crop varieties and GPS assisted machinery, the evolution of prairie […] Read more

VIDEO: Molecular farming: small scale work nets big results
Fish poop and green algae might help farms grow without having to expand. That’s the hope for developers of an integrated farming system that could combine grain, fish and algae in a self-sustaining circle. “Molecular farming is a really good option,” Bruce Hardy, president of Myera Group, said during a tour of its laboratory-farm at […] Read more

Aquaponics next stage of development for fish farm
NOBLEFORD, Alta. — Justin Den Toom stands in a vast building under construction, as the sun shines brightly through the plastic-lined roof. The whine of a saw splits the air on this day, but soon the building will be full of lush plants floating placidly in fish-fertilized water. Den Toom operates Current Prairie Fisherman Corp., […] Read more
CME live cattle soars to 6-month high on cash price hopes
CHICAGO, Dec 29 (Reuters) – Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures on Thursday surged to a six-month high, fueled by the recent rally in wholesale beef values and steady-to-firmer cash price expectations for unsold cattle, said traders. December live cattle, which will expire on Friday, closed 2.725 cents per pound higher at 118.700 cents. Most […] Read more

Promising research for perennial plants on the Prairies
Researchers say commercial perennial crops suitable for prairie production could be available in as little as 15 years. It’s already been about 90 years of work, but the finish line is in sight, said Doug Cattani, a plant breeder at the University of Manitoba. He is working mainly on developing a perennial intermediate wheat grass, […] Read more

Charcuterie gets a kick start
Sometimes you need to kick start pigs to make them fly, which is what entrepreneur Tina Windsor had in mind when applying for Kickstarter funding to help grow her charcuterie. The word charcuterie dates back to the first century and refers to a butcher shop devoted primarily to sausages, hams, bacons, pates and other prepared […] Read more

Restaurant gets food from the source
As a young chef, Blair Lebsack questioned why most food arrived in boxes on a truck from a central supply depot. “I always asked the driver where it came from and he didn’t know,” he said. Lebsack had grown up on a mixed farm near Red Deer where they raised livestock and garden produce for […] Read more
Corn, wheat, soy retreat in technical year-end trade, ICE Canola Weakens
CHICAGO, Dec 28 (Reuters) – U.S. corn, wheat and soybean futures fell on Wednesday in technically driven trade as investors squared positions toward the end of the year and the dollar firmed, analysts said. Additional pressure stemmed from easing concerns about crop weather in South America. As of 12:38 p.m. CST (1838 GMT), Chicago Board […] Read more