Brussels | Reuters –– The head of Europe’s food safety watchdog has written to a group of nearly 100 senior scientists strongly rejecting their criticisms in a row about the safety of glyphosate. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), which advises European Union policymakers, issued an opinion in November that glyphosate is unlikely to cause […] Read more
EU food safety watchdog hits back in glyphosate safety row
Court to hear growers’ appeal of Ontario neonic rules
Ontario’s soybean and corn growers have been granted an appeal hearing in their bid to delay the province’s new limits on neonicotinoid seed treatments. Grain Farmers of Ontario (GFO), the body for the province’s corn, soy, wheat, barley and oat growers, said Tuesday the Ontario Court of Appeal has agreed to hear its case on March […] Read more
Switzerland asks voters not to ban farm derivatives trade
Zurich | Reuters –– Switzerland’s government on Tuesday urged voters to reject a campaign to ban trading in agricultural derivatives, saying the well-meaning attempt to alleviate world hunger would not succeed and only jeopardize Swiss jobs and tax revenue. The “No Speculation with Food” initiative is subject of a binding referendum on Feb. 28 under […] Read more
USDA grains report catches speculators leaning wrong way
Washington | Reuters — Grains market speculators who had built massive short positions in recent months were caught leaning the wrong way after the U.S. government cut its corn and soy harvest views, as well as its wheat planting estimate, in reports released on Tuesday. Although the overall fundamental picture remains bleak, the bearish bets […] Read more
Klassen: Feeder cattle jump on renewed buying interest
During the first full week of January, western Canadian feeder cattle traded $10-$15 higher compared to late December. In some cases, calves under 600 lbs. were $15-$20 higher. Strength in the nearby fed cattle market, along with the firmer tone to live cattle futures, set a positive tone. Alberta packers were buying fed cattle in […] Read more
U.S. grains: Wheat surges as USDA cuts acreage view
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. grain prices rallied on Tuesday after the U.S. Department of Agriculture slashed its estimate of winter wheat seedings by more than anticipated and unexpectedly cut its corn and soybean production view. Wheat futures surged nearly three per cent to a three-week high on fund short covering while corn and soybeans […] Read more
USDA’s corn, stocks view misses forecasts; prices surge
Washington | Reuters — U.S. corn and soybean supplies ballooned to record levels during the last three months of 2015 following bountiful harvests of both commodities and cutbacks in usage, according to government data released on Tuesday. But grain stocks lagged market forecasts, and corn and soybean production was smaller than previously estimated, the U.S. […] Read more
Study finds Canadian beef’s GHG footprint shrunk over 30 years
Efficiencies in cattle production and feeding have allowed Canada’s beef industry to produce the same weight in beef as 30 years ago with smaller breeding herds, less land — and smaller greenhouse gas (GHG) output, a new study finds. The study, led by research scientist Tim McAllister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in Lethbridge, with […] Read more
U.S. grains: Wheat falls from three-week high
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat futures dropped two per cent on Monday on technical selling and profit-taking after touching three-week highs last week, while traders eyed an eagerly awaited series of government reports on crops due on Tuesday. Corn and soybeans also fell, with declines in broader commodities markets amid fresh investor concerns about […] Read more
China says must change corn supports to clear stockpile
Beijing | Reuters — China must lower corn prices to reduce its massive corn stockpile and curb imports of corn substitutes including barley, sorghum and distillers’ grain, state media quoted a senior agricultural official as saying. Chen Xiwen, deputy director of the Central Rural Work Leading Group, said China needed to modify its reserve-based crop […] Read more
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