CHICAGO (Reuters) — Agribusiness Cargill Inc. said on Thursday it plans to open a $200 million sunflower oil crushing plant in southern Russia in time for the 2015 harvest. The “state-of-the-art” crushing facility is under construction in the town of Novoanninskiy in the Volgograd region, Cargill said. It will process up to 640,000 tonnes of […] Read more
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Cargill to build $200 million oil crushing plant in Russia
Farmers blamed for Lake Erie water pollution issues
Phosphorus loading | Study says agriculture may be the primary source of the problem
DRESDEN, Ont. — Farmers near Lake Erie will have to do more to address the issue of phosphorus loading if the authors of a new study have their way. The study, which recommended changes to agricultural practices within the watershed, said phosphorus loading has led to an increase of algae blooms in the lake’s western […] Read moreU.S. offers to sell surplus sugar for biofuel at a loss
WASHINGTON (Reuters) — The U.S. government offered on Wednesday to sell surplus sugar to biofuel makers, turning to an initiative created during the early days of the ethanol boom in an effort to alleviate the highest sugar subsidy costs in a decade. The Agriculture Department has tried repeatedly since June to whittle down an oversupply […] Read more
Economic stimulus news out of U.S. surprises markets
Whether or not today’s “not tapering yet” surprise news will lead to a sustained recovery of crop prices won’t be clear until tomorrow, traders say. The news that the U.S. Federal Reserve Bank won’t begin the “taper” yet immediately powered stock markets to all-time highs, but the news was only being digested as agricultural futures […] Read more
PotashCorp says price drop unlikely to shutter high-cost mines
(Reuters) — A move by top global potash producer Uralkali to quit its export partnership and seek to maximize sales volumes is unlikely to weed out higher-cost producers, the chief financial officer of rival Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan said on Wednesday. Russia’s Uralkali OAO broke up Belarusian Potash Co. in July and predicted the price […] Read more
Cheese recalled in B.C., Alberta
Cheese from Gort’s Gouda Cheese Farm, distributed in British Columbia and Alberta, is suspected of bacterial contamination that has killed one person and made at least 10 others ill. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency issued a recall of the cheese yesterday, warning the public of possible E. coli 0157:H7 contamination in a range of products […] Read more
New poultry research announced for U of S
A poultry scientist at the University of Saskatchewan will lead a new effort studying nutrition, management and welfare. The university announced the five-year $3.6 million initiative today. “Our goal is to improve the sustainability of poultry production through precision diet formulation, more efficient use of feed ingredients and feeding programs that enhance bird health while […] Read more
Belarus not willing to cut potash prices
MINSK (Reuters) — Belarus is not willing to lower its potash prices as a cut would cause losses, a top Belarussian official said on Wednesday in comments that raised the chance of reviving a sales cartel with Russia. Russia’s Uralkali pulled out of a potash trading agreement with Belarus in July, in a move that […] Read more
Rain seen slowing U.S. corn harvest, boosting wheat seedings
(Reuters) — Rain is forecast over a broad area of the U.S. Midwest, Delta and southern Plains late this week, which will slow the early corn harvest but boost winter wheat seeding prospects, an agricultural meteorologist said on Wednesday. Most of the rain will fall from Thursday into the weekend, with the heaviest amounts of […] Read more
USDA will not take action in case of GMO alfalfa contamination
(Reuters) — The detection of a small amount of genetically modified material in a Washington state farmer’s non-GMO alfalfa crop constitutes a “commercial issue” only and does not warrant any government action, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said on Tuesday. The Washington state farmer had complained in late August to state agricultural officials that his […] Read more
