The last few years have been extremely positive for the grain sector, but now there’s a new reality. Grain prices have dropped significantly since the summer, and there is no indication that they will rally soon. Projected crop returns for this year are much lower than desired, with some crops projected to have negative returns […] Read more
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Farm management in the new reality
Good South American weather pressures grain prices lower
Canola futures fell about a half a percentage point Wednesday along with other sagging crop futures. Only oats posted gains. That market reflects the tight supply situation at the contract’s delivery point in the U.S., not the wider supply and demand situation. Crop markets were pressured down by generally favourable weather in South America’s soy […] Read more
Two more porcine epidemic diarrhea cases reported in Ontario
Two more cases of porcine epidemic diarrhea have been confirmed in Ontario, says a government official. A suspected case at Chatham was confirmed positive today as well as another new case in Norfolk County, said Mark Cripps of Ontario Agriculture. There are now four cases of the deadly pig virus in the southwestern region of […] Read more
Irish cattle chow down on Canadian corn
WINNIPEG/PARIS (Reuters) — Canada’s bountiful corn harvest is flowing across the Atlantic into feed rations for Ireland’s cattle herd, even as exporters struggle to move other crops through the bottlenecked Canadian transportation system. Canada, which was a net corn importer until recent years, reaped a record 14.2-million tonne corn crop in 2013. Most of the […] Read more
U.S. House passes long-overdue farm bill
By Eric Beech WASHINGTON, Jan 29 (Reuters) – The U.S. House of Representatives passed a nearly $1 trillion farm bill on Wednesday that cuts food stamps and ends a direct subsidy to farmers, while expanding government-backed crop insurance programs. The measure passed easily by 251 votes to 166. The bill is more than a year […] Read more
Sask. announces first farm worker training program
A program to train agricultural workers, promised by the Saskatchewan government in its growth plan, was unveiled in Yorkton this morning. The Agricultural Operator Program is a module-based program that will give potential workers practical training. Trainees can take one or more modules, depending on what they need or want to study. Potential employees do […] Read more
No quick fix for grain transportation problems, says agriculture minister Ritz
Ottawa is working to address grain transportation problems, but solutions will not occur overnight, says federal agriculture minister Gerry Ritz. “There is no easy solution to this,” Ritz told The Western Producer in a Jan. 23 interview. “We’re doing as much as we can and quickly as we can …,” he said. “We want to […] Read more
Dow Chemical raises stock buyback plan after strong results
(Reuters) — Dow Chemical Co. reported a quarterly profit that comfortably beat market expectations, hiked its dividend and tripled its share buyback program, joining rival DuPont in increasing shareholder returns amid investor activism. Shares of Dow Chemical, the largest U.S. chemical maker by sales, rose as much as six percent in early trading. The company’s […] Read more
Larry Maguire sworn in as new Conservative MP from Manitoba
Former Manitoba farmer and farm leader Larry Maguire, recently elected Brandon-Souris Conservative MP, made his debut in the House of Commons Monday with a rare first-day question. He asked a friendly question to his government about the recently announced livestock price insurance program. “Pork and cattle producers in southwestern Manitoba have been calling for a […] Read more
GMO critics protest Monsanto meeting; shareholder resolutions fail
(Reuters) — Critics of genetically modified crops protested at Monsanto Co.’s annual shareholders meeting on Tuesday, calling for the world’s largest seed company to provide a report on contamination in non-GMO crops and to stop fighting mandatory labels on foods containing GMO ingredients. The requests came in the form of two shareholder resolutions that were […] Read more
