Canola closed slightly higher with the soy complex on Thursday. Corn and wheat were a little lower. Canola’s gains were limited by a stronger loonie. Soybeans rose on the strength of good weekly exports. The U.S. Agriculture Department reported weekly soybean export sales of 746,200 tonnes (old-crop and new-crop combined), topping forecasts that ranged from […] Read more
News
Strong U.S. soy exports lift oilseeds on Thursday
U.S. Corn Belt farmland values down in 2014
CHICAGO (Reuters) — The average price of quality U.S. farmland fell three percent in 2014, marking the first annual decline in almost 30 years, the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago said in its quarterly survey of district bankers on Thursday. “The District’s annual decrease of three percent in good farmland values for 2014 was the […] Read more
Shippers plan four-day partial shutdown of U.S. West Coast ports
UPDATED – Thursday Feb. 12 – 1420 CST – LOS ANGELES, Calif. (Reuters) — The 29 ports on the U.S. West Coast were effectively closed to cargo freighters today for the second time in less than a week under a partial shutdown imposed by shipping lines and terminal operators in an escalating labour dispute with […] Read more
The best farm plans start with a clean slate
EDMONTON — After studying hundreds of leading farmers, an Australian farm management specialist has listed the Top 10 traits of successful farmers. Farmers aren’t expected to be successful at all 10 traits, but with deliberate changes they can improve their score and their farm’s bottom line, Rob Napier told farmers at FarmTech, which was held […] Read more
Sask. ranchers call for mandatory ID program
Saskatchewan cattle producers say the province should make premises identification mandatory. Other provinces require producers to register their premises and obtain a PID number, but Saskatchewan has maintained a voluntary system and relied on producers to take the initiative. It has established a program based on the one in Alberta but hasn’t declared that producers […] Read more
Bunge reduces soy pipeline to China after overestimating demand
CHICAGO (Reuters) — Bunge Ltd. has reduced the size of its pipeline of soybeans flowing to China, the world’s top importer of the oilseed, after overestimating demand late last year, chief executive Soren Schroder said on Thursday. The decision to scale back shipments to the world’s most populous nation reflects the impact of China’s slowing […] Read more
Landowners remain unhappy with Alta. power line route options
A power line proposed for southwestern Alberta continues to raise objections from landowners. The exact route of the $500 million AltaLink transmission line from Castle Rock Ridge to Chapel Rock has yet to be determined, but the Livingstone Landowners Group does not like any of the options. It questions whether the line is needed at […] Read more
Ag data collects carbon credits
A Manitoba company that collects high tech agricultural data has won an exclusive carbon offset contract with an Edmonton power utility. Farmers Edge will work with farmers who use quality farm management and data collection to secure carbon offsets under a new Alberta Greenhouse Gas Reduction Program. “For us, there is a lot of value […] Read more
Farm safety receives funding in Alberta
Alberta farm safety education programs received a $75,000 boost Feb. 12 from Ag for Life and the Co-operators. The three-year partnership is designed to help expand rural and farm safety days across the province. Ag for Life is a non-profit organization with a mandate to deliver safety education. Its safety programs reached more than 26,200 […] Read more
China to give market a bigger role in pricing
BEIJING, China (Reuters) — China wants to give the market a bigger role in setting farm prices, says a top agricultural official. The initiative moves away from a controversial state stockpiling policy that has led to bulging grain inventories and a surge of cheap imports. That policy, in which grains are bought at artificially high […] Read more
