Chicago | Reuters — Minnesota has launched an investigation to find the source of seed mixes contaminated with weed seeds after the aggressive, herbicide-resistant Palmer amaranth weed was found on 30 areas planted in a federal conservation program. The weed grows very fast, reaching up to eight feet in height and can hold back commercial […] Read more
Minnesota probes Palmer amaranth’s sudden appearance
Quebec’s winter trails to remain open as tax reform halted
Snowmobile trails going through farmland owned by members of Quebec’s Union des producteurs agricoles (UPA) will remain open as the province hits the brakes on changes to its farmland property tax credit plan. UPA members had recently pledged to revoke previously-permitted access to their land for snowmobile trails starting Monday (Feb. 6) in a dispute […] Read more
Quebec farmers to shut snowmobile trails in tax dispute
Members of Quebec’s general farm organization plan to revoke permission for snowmobilers to use their land starting Monday, in protest over the province’s planned reforms to its farmland property tax credit. L’Union des producteurs agricoles (UPA) said Wednesday it had been planning such a move in late 2016 but on Dec. 20 had asked members […] Read more
EU said set to approve ChemChina bid for Syngenta
Brussels | Reuters — ChemChina is set to secure conditional EU antitrust approval for its US$43 billion bid for Swiss pesticides and seeds group Syngenta, two people familiar with the matter said on Thursday. The deal — the largest foreign acquisition by a Chinese company — is important for China, the world’s largest agricultural market, […] Read more
Richardson buys eastern Saskatchewan input shop
Prairie grain firm Richardson Pioneer has added to its share of the eastern Saskatchewan crop input retail market with a deal for Crop First Agro. Financial terms aren’t being disclosed for the deal between privately-held Richardson and Crop First Agro, an independent retailer at Grenfell, Sask., about 100 km south of Yorkton, except that the […] Read more
The meaning of sustainability depends on your point of view
When you talk about sustainable agriculture, you need to look not just at the farm but what is happening all around it
Reading Time: 4 minutes Redefining sustainability Battered about like a mariner’s ship at sea, the “sustainable” world is getting frayed at the edges. It leaks the slow leak, one that was built in agriculture on the idealism of creating a pathway to consumers but rested on that assurance without producer reward. Certainly, the journey is worth examining as we […] Read more
Brazil to open farmland, airlines to foreign buyers
Brasilia | Reuters — President Michel Temer will propose legislation to lift restrictions on foreign ownership of airlines and agricultural land in Brazil as he strives to pull the economy out of a two-year recession, government sources said on Monday. Temer’s centre-right government plans to send Congress a bill allowing 100 per cent foreign ownership […] Read more
Dow’s ledger benefits as economic growth boosts demand
Reuters — Dow Chemical, which is merging with DuPont, reported strong fourth-quarter results and gave an upbeat forecast for the current quarter as its focus on consumer markets benefits from improving economic growth worldwide. The seeds and chemical maker said improving growth in the United States, Latin American and Europe, besides steady Asia growth, would […] Read more
Potash prices look lower for longer as competition overheats
Reuters — The deepest slump in a decade for the oversupplied potash fertilizer market may abate only slightly in 2017, major producers say, and could take years to correct due to the imminent startup of new mines. PotashCorp, the world’s biggest fertilizer producer, forecast a less profitable year on Thursday than analysts expected, and reported […] Read more
What’s been your experience with precision ag?
Survey runs until March 4
Reading Time: < 1 minute Prairie farmers are being asked to take part in an online survey on precision agriculture to help advance innovation in Canadian farming. The survey, which runs until March 4, focuses on precision agriculture tools that western Canadian farmers use or are considering using in 2017, as well as barriers they face in adopting the technology. […] Read more
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