WASHINGTON (Reuters) — U.S. farmers will plant more soybeans, cotton and rice in 2014-15, mostly at the expense of corn, other feed grains and wheat, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said on Thursday. At its annual Agricultural Outlook conference, the USDA forecast lower prices ahead for most major U.S. crops as the impact of the […] Read more
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U.S farmers to face lower grain, oilseed prices in 2014-15
Alta. breeder wins in Denver
A young Alberta Shorthorn breeder made her first trip to the National Western Stock Show worthwhile when her yearling bull took the grand championship. Jordan Buba of Spruce Grove and her bull, BISS Element 79, had already won the Canadian national championship at Farmfair International in November. She decided to give the U.S. national show […] Read more
MAGUIRE: U.S. crop acreage guessing game gets under way
CHICAGO, — The U.S. Department of Agriculture kicked off the U.S. spring crop acreage guessing game last week with the release of its baseline projections for U.S. row crop production. While the baseline projections are not an official USDA forecast of what is expected to be planted (and are rather consensus estimates based on prevailing […] Read more
Sask. ministers leave for railway talks in Montreal
The cabinet ministers appointed by Saskatchewan premier Brad Wall to meet with stakeholders in the grain transportation industry will be in Montreal Thursday to meet with Canadian National Railway. They will meet with Canadian Pacific Railway on Friday. Economy minister Bill Boyd said the railways must move more grain. Grain handlers told the ministers in […] Read more
U.S. consumers to see higher milk prices as export demand soars
(Reuters) — Picking up a gallon of milk at the grocery store is getting pricier and the cost could hit a record high for U.S. consumers in March, analysts warned. Strong global demand and stagnant production in other countries has led to increased exports of U.S. dairy products in recent months, generating more money for […] Read more
Canada eyes animal feed as pig-killing virus spreads
WINNIPEG, Manitoba/CHICAGO (Reuters) — The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is conducting tests to see if contaminated animal feed helped spread the piglet-killing porcine epidemic diarrhea virus across several Canadian provinces. The government agency said on Tuesday that testing has determined the virus was present in samples of U.S.-origin plasma obtained at the third-party manufacturer for […] Read more
CN plans $2.1 billion in rail spending this year
Canadian National Railway will spend more than $2.1 billion this year on rail network upgrades and equipment, says company president Claude Mongeau. He said the spending will improve safety, efficiency and service to rail shippers. Mongeau announced Feb. 19 that the company will spend $1.2 billion on track infrastructure, $300 million on locomotives and equipment […] Read more
France moves to ban GM corn planting in short, long term
PARIS, Feb 17 (Reuters) – France published a decree on Monday to prevent the planting of genetically modified maize as a stopgap measure, while the government works on changes to domestic and European laws to ensure a longer-term ban. The French government, which maintains that GM crops present environmental risks, has been trying to institute […] Read more
Growth of biotech crops plateaus in U.S., climbs in Asia – report
By Carey Gillam Feb 13 (Reuters) – The growth of biotech crops in the United States appears to have hit a plateau, but farmers are accelerating plantings in Asia, although it still remains a much smaller market, according to an industry report issued Thursday. Farmers around the world grew a record 175.2 million hectares (433 […] Read more
Outstanding young farmers named in Alberta
BANFF, Alta. — Dairy farmers Richard and Nicole Brousseau of St. Paul have been named Alberta’s outstanding young farmers for 2014. Working with Nicole’s parents, Bert and Yvonne Poulin, they have 50 purebred Holsteins at Moo-Lait Family Farm. Both worked off the farm at Lakeland College in the dairy division, although neither expected to eventually […] Read more
