CHICAGO, Ill. (Reuters) — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures ended moderately lower today after a choppy session in which anticipation of lower cash prices overtook sporadic short-covering, traders said. December closed 0.400 cents per pound lower at 166.450 cents, and February down 0.150 cents at 166.975 cents. Packers curtailed production to stabilize their falling […] Read more
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CME live cattle finish lower after wild ride
Realized net income grew only 1.1 percent in 2013
Higher interest rates a concern | Farms with high debt could become non-viable
Statistics Canada’s final tally of 2013 farm income tells a story familiar to western Canadian farmers. Total net income increased to $12 billion last year, according to the agency’s report released last week, but a good portion of it was sitting in on-farm stocks at the end of the year. Almost all of the $5.7 […] Read moreSelling to Middle East demands attention to detail
Know the customer | Quebec exporter says Kuwaiti horse owners may drive a Lamborghini but haggle over feed prices
BROMONT, Que. — Exporting hay to the Middle East is all about connections. Alan Gardner’s connections in Kuwait, the United Arab Eremites and Qatar just happened to be influential princes and sheikhs. “They’re decent contacts,” Alan Gardner of Northern Ireland told the Canadian Forage and Grasslands Association conference. Gardner met many of his contacts years […] Read moreForeign group testing ownership rules
Skyline Agriculture Financial Corp. | Group’s plan could open Sask. to more foreign investment
A landmark case is in front of the courts that could forever change the way Saskatchewan farmland is bought and sold. Skyline Agriculture Financial Corp. and three of its subsidiaries are challenging a Saskatchewan Farm Land Security Board (FLSB) ruling preventing the company from owning 15 acres of land in the province. The non-Canadian owned […] Read moreBrace for frigid temperatures, normal snowfall
Weak El Nino | Alberta can expect dramatic swings while Manitoba will be cold
Manitoba residents are in for another cold winter, according to the Weather Network. They can blame a weak El Nino for their troubles, said meteorologist Dayna Vettese. Many Canadians incorrectly associate El Nino with warm winters. “That’s not necessarily true,” she said. “Strong El Ninos do typically dictate a warm winter across Canada, but what […] Read moreGrain targets extended, but reduced
Ottawa has renewed a federal order that dictates how much grain must be moved each week by Canada’s largest railway companies. Federal agriculture minister Gerry Ritz and transport minister Lisa Raitt announced late Nov. 29 that weekly grain volume requirements will remain in place until March 28, 2015. However, the volume requirements have been reduced […] Read more
Canadian officials not surprised by U.S. appeal
Country-of-origin labelling | Ag minister says he expects U.S. to lose its latest challenge of WTO ruling
The United States announced Nov. 28 that it will appeal the most recent World Trade Organization ruling on country-of-origin labelling. The move surprised few and disappointed many in the Canadian beef and pork industry. In October, the WTO ruled in favour of Canada and Mexico by determining the U.S. had failed to bring its meat […] Read moreCanada examines partnering with China on hemp
China wants to become a player in the hemp world, and Canada’s industry is trying to figure out how to make that a positive rather than a negative. The world’s most populous nation is trying to boost hemp fibre production and textile manufacturing. “Can Canada afford … not to co-operate with China?” said Jan Slaski, […] Read more
Farm structure may affect capital gains exemption
Buying investments within a farm corporation is a common practice. It makes sense to seek higher returns when times are good and excess cash is available. However, holding a large amount of non-farming assets such as investments within a farm corporation can have adverse tax consequences. One such consequence is the loss of being able […] Read more
Plant breeders’ rights changes move to Senate
Bill C-18 | The NFU says the bill gives multinationals massive rights to ‘extract vast amounts of money from farmers’
A federal bill that proposes numerous changes to Canada’s Plant Breeders’ Rights Act has passed third reading in the House of Commons. Bill C-18, the Agricultural Growth Act, was read for a third and final time in the House of Commons Nov. 24. The bill now requires Senate approval and royal assent before it becomes […] Read more
