HANOVER, Germany — International financial companies have made themselves comfortable in the houses of commodity trading, leaving little room for those who have to live there. The activity of big international investment firms in commodity markets has hurt the transparency of those markets, said Carl Albrecht Bartmer, head of the farm organization that organizes Agritechnica […] Read more
News
Price discovery, risk management need improvement: analysts
Supply management fate rests on pending trade deals
The Western Producer’s Ottawa correspondent Barry Wilson provides this inside look into the politics of supply management and addresses key questions: Are the tariff and quota systems that manage Canada’s dairy, poultry and egg industries coming under increasing fire? Will Canada be able to fend off international calls for an end to the protectionism that’s […] Read more
Herefords prove ideal for southern Alta. ranch
EDMONTON — Jennifer Jenkins grew up going to bull sales with her father, Bob. Now a full-time rancher near Twin Butte, Alta., she realizes those hours spent at shows and sales were his way of mentoring his daughter, who would take over as a full partner in the ranch. “When I was just little, it […] Read more
Canola falls $15.50 on the week
Canola edged higher on Friday but other crop futures fell as the U.S. dollar rose against most major currencies. Canola bounced back from the low on Thursday when U.S. markets were closed. Traders thought canola had fallen too far compared to soybeans. Prices, now at a 13-month low, attracted some exporter buying and short covering. […] Read more
Pulse exporter expects resumption of demand
Improved pulse crop demand is just around the corner, says one of the world’s largest lentil processors. “An expected return to normal buying in many regional markets, which is viewed by (us) as the start of the replenishment of longstanding depleted local market stocks, is expected to materialize in 2012,” said Alliance Grain Traders Inc. […] Read more
Innovation awards presented at Agritechnica
HANOVER, Germany — A driverless tractor and a round baler that doesn’t stop won gold at Agritechnica, the world’s largest agricultural show. Agco was awarded a top prize in agricultural innovation for a tractor that follows the lead of another machine in the field. A master machine with an operator runs through the field with […] Read more
Devotion to British breed pays off for ranching family
EDMONTON — Wendy Bishop was up at 4:30 a.m. a few weeks ago working with her cattle when the sky burst into a cascade of northern lights. “What could be better than that?” she thought as she went about her chores on her farm near Holden, Alta. “Farming is the only way to go, the […] Read more
Ending single desk won’t change realities of wheat market
The rhetoric on both sides of the Canadian Wheat Board debate has become totally overblown. Extreme pro CWB advocates say that vast swaths of farmers will go out of business and Canadian consumers won’t be able to buy food with Canadian grown wheat if the single desk goes. If the CWB was the only thing […] Read more
Build here, reap benefits, says Kazakhstan ag minister
HANOVER, Germany — Kazakhstan has told farm equipment manufacturers that the first companies to begin building large scale machinery in that country could receive exclusive access. The country, which is the world’s largest exporter of wheat flour, represents a significant market for farm machinery and an opportunity for agricultural investors. Asylzhan Mamytbekov, Kazakhstan’s agriculture minister, […] Read more
Growing concern about disease
Respiratory disease has emerged as a significant cause of death in Alberta bison herds. “In my opinion, it’s the biggest single most significant disease affecting the North American bison industry,” said Dr. Roy Lewis, a veterinarian in Clyde, Alta., who is part of a team conducting autopsies on bison to identify causes of death. He […] Read more
