CNS Canada –– Stalled demand from a key international buyer has caused a buildup of flax inventories in Canada, with more crops on the way. Demand on the ingredient side of the flax market has been steady, said Mike Popowich of processing firm TA Foods at Yorkton, Sask. “But we’ve experienced a bit of a […] Read more
China’s requirements leave Canadian flax piling up
Trade looks to potential, not projections, post-StatsCan data
CNS Canada — The commodity trade has turned its focus forward following fresh data from Statistics Canada. “The acreage numbers are important, but this game right now is all about weather,” said Mike Jubinville of ProFarmer Canada, naming spring wheat as one crop the market had been closely watching. While estimates for all wheat seeded […] Read more
Soybeans elbow their way to top of Prairie market
CNS Canada — As soybeans rise in acreage across Western Canada, many are wondering which crop will bear the brunt of their sudden expansion. “Guys are trying to figure out — is it squeezing out canola or peas?” said Dan Mazier, president of Keystone Agricultural Producers. “It’s one of those products.” Flax has also taken […] Read more
NAFTA agriculture ministers see ‘few’ differences over trade
Garden City, Ga. | Reuters — The U.S., Canada and Mexico have “relatively few” differences on agricultural trade, agriculture ministers from the three countries said in a joint statement after meeting Tuesday to discuss the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement. However, some “irritants” are present for each country in the runup to […] Read more
Ottawa still considering eliminating deferred grain cash tickets
Alberta crop commissions say federal finance officials don’t understand the serious impact of eliminating the tax break
Reading Time: 2 minutes Ottawa is extending the public consultations on the “potential elimination” of deferred grain cash tickets by two months. But Alberta farm leaders say federal finance officials have “little understanding” of the importance of the income tax break and “the far-reaching implications if farmers were to lose access to this tool.” “We believe that the government […] Read more
Deadline extended for comment on cash ticket deferral
Public consultations on the income tax treatment of deferred grain cash tickets, with an eye toward “potential elimination” of farmers’ option to defer grain income, have been extended by two months. The federal government on Tuesday said the consultation, first announced in Finance Minister Bill Morneau’s March budget and due to end Wednesday, will instead […] Read more
Flax Council cautions on seed integrity
With the latest official acreage estimates showing a jump in flax acres across much of Western Canada, the Flax Council of Canada is urging caution. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s latest Seeded Acreage Report is expecting 1.1 million acres to go into the ground this year, putting pressure on seed supplies, and putting the integrity of […] Read more
CropChoice$ for 2017 now online
Reading Time: < 1 minute This years’s edition of the CropChoice$ planning tool is now available. The tool uses the latest crop insurance data from AFSC and projected crop costs to evaluate a crop plan in its entirety, said provincial crops economist Rawlin Thangara. “Let’s say a producer has a crop plan for 10 fields that he wishes to evaluate. […] Read more
Sobeys, Safeway parent seeks cost-cutting ‘leverage’
Empire Co., the parent firm for about 1,500 grocery stores across Canada, plans to restructure from a regional to a “largely national” operation cutting $500 million in annual costs by the end of 2020. Nova Scotia-based Empire — whose stores operate under brands including Sobeys, Safeway, IGA, Foodland, FreshCo, Thrifty Foods, and Lawton’s — on […] Read more
Manitoba crop groups officially on merger track
Five Manitoba-based crop producer associations, nearly all of which already work out of the same building, have a memorandum of understanding to work toward forming a single merged grower group. The Manitoba Corn Growers Association (MCGA), Manitoba Pulse and Soybean Growers Association (MPSG), National Sunflower Association of Canada (NSAC) and the Manitoba Wheat and Barley […] Read more