HELSINKI, BRUSSELS (Reuters) — Finland has called on the European Union to scrap its twice-yearly switch of clocks to daylight saving time. In Brussels, however, the EU executive showed little sign of haste to comply, confirming only that a long-term review of its 2001 summer time directive was still going on. A study for the […] Read more
News
Time’s up for summer? Finns push EU to scrap clock changes
Bunge buys corn flour mills
CHICAGO, Ill. (Reuters) — U.S. grain merchant Bunge Ltd. has bought two corn flour mills to expand its food and ingredients business. The move comes after a bid to take over Bunge by rival Archer Daniels Midland Co. that would consolidate the agribusiness sector. Bunge’s North American arm acquired the mills in Iowa and Texas […] Read more
Brazil’s soy share to China hits high
BEIJING/SINGAPORE (Reuters) — Brazil’s share of soybean exports to China, the world’s top buyer of the commodity, grew to the largest on record in 2017 and looks set to grow again this year, helped by competitive prices and the high protein content. That’s another potential blow to rival exporter the United States as it grapples […] Read more
Ag Notes
Ag employment service takes applications The Agricultural Youth Green Jobs Initiative is taking applications for 2018. The federal program provides funding for on-farm internships and with organizations engaged in the agriculture and agri-food sector for activities that are environmentally beneficial to the agriculture sector. The initiative was launched in 2016 with an investment of $5.2 […] Read more
U.S. corn stocks forecast cut due to rising exports – USDA
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Surging export demand for U.S. corn will cut into domestic stockpiles of the grain by more than expected, the U.S. Agriculture Department said on Thursday. But U.S. soybean stocks were forecast to rise as a bumper harvest in Brazil will allow overseas buyers to source their oilseed purchases from the South American […] Read more
Canola council funding slashed
The Canola Council of Canada will be operating in 2018 with a budget that has been reduced by nearly one-third. In addition to losing about $1 million in annual funding from Richardson International, the council will have less money coming in from grower groups, crushers and other exporters. That is because the council’s board of […] Read more
InVigor L252 variety hangs onto canola crown
Bayer has been among the most-grown canola varieties for the last three years, which is a rare feat in today’s seed market
As farmers finalize plans on what crops and varieties they will be planting in 2018, they can look back on what were the most popular varieties grown on the Prairies last year. Every year the Canadian Grain Commission compiles the list from provincial crop insurance data. The top canola variety grown in 2017 was Bayer […] Read moreFrance plans farmer exemption to glyphosate ban, if necessary
SAINT-GENES-CHAMPANELLE, France (Reuters) — France plans to exempt farmers from a ban on using the weed killer glyphosate in three years’ time as long as there is no credible alternative, President Emmanuel Macron said recently. Macron said in November glyphosate would be banned in France within three years, rejecting a European Union decision to extend […] Read more
Organics funded to revise standard
The federal government is providing the organic sector with about half of the money it needs to revise its national standards. The Canadian Organic Standards are supposed to be updated every five years. If they are not, the Canadian General Standards Board is required to withdraw the outdated standards, jeopardizing more than $600 million worth […] Read more
U.S. not budging on ‘old guard’ trade stance
If nothing else, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer gets high marks for consistency. Since August, when re-negotiations for the North American Free Trade Agreement began, Lighthizer has said the U.S. wants to rebalance trade with Canada and Mexico. Some economists and trade experts have dismissed Lighthizer’s comments as posturing and a tactic to put pressure […] Read more
