A major Japanese farm co-operative and the Australian owner of Canada Malting are staking a new joint claim in Canada’s Prairie grain handling sector. Tokyo-based Zen-Noh Grain Corp. (ZGC) and Sydney-based GrainCorp on Monday announced plans to build new grain origination sites in Alberta and Saskatchewan, through a 50/50 Canadian-incorporated joint venture to be based […] Read more
Japanese co-op, Canada Malting owner make Prairie grain play
Hay producers see increased competition, lower prices
CNS Canada — Canada’s export hay prices have come down from summer highs and now sit at less than half their previous levels, but despite competition from other growing regions, a weak loonie is helping Canadian producers. South Africa, Eastern Europe and Argentina have increased their alfalfa production, said Edward J. Shaw, director of market […] Read more
Sask. widens wolf harvest pilot area
Last winter’s pilot project to push wolves back from ranches and farms in northeastern Saskatchewan will expand west this winter. Saskatchewan’s environment ministry on Wednesday announced a wolf hunt will run from Dec. 15 this year until March 31, 2016 in wildlife management zones (WMZs) 49 and 53. The wolf hunt pilot program ran from […] Read more
Lethbridge feed wheat stays steady, barley moves downward
CNS Canada –– Feed barley prices have come down while wheat holds steady in Lethbridge, Alta., the centre of Western Canada’s livestock feeding sector. The price of feed barley at Lethbridge fell about $10 a tonne throughout November to sit at about $210-$212 per tonne — for three main reasons, according to Jim Beusekom of […] Read more
U.S. EPA finalizes 2016 renewables target at 18.1B gallons
New York | Reuters — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency wants energy companies to blend 18.1 billion gallons (68.5 billion litres) of biofuels into the nation’s fuel supply next year, more than in a proposal laid out in May, it said in announcing final rules on renewables use for 2014-16 on Monday. The EPA’s long-awaited […] Read more
Klassen: Weaker fed cattle pressure feeder market
Alan Paton stated when men are ruled by fear, they strive to prevent the very changes that will abate it. The feeder cattle market is contending with a negative round of feeding margins over the next few months, which continues to result in weaker values. Western Canadian feeder cattle prices were generally $3 to $8 […] Read more
FarmLink picks up mobile management app
A Saskatchewan-developed, cloud-based mobile app for farm management is being uploaded into Prairie grain marketing consultancy FarmLink Marketing Solutions. Winnipeg-based FarmLink announced Tuesday it will merge Farm At Hand, the software platform developed by Kim Keller and Himanshu Singh, into its operations. Financial terms of the merger weren’t released. “It has long been our belief […] Read more
Stronger demand for minor feeds reflected in oats futures
CNS Canada — Oats futures at the Chicago Board of Trade have been creeping higher, which a U.S.-based analyst attributes to increasing demand for minor feed grains. Data from Canada and the U.S. project oat yields to increase from last year, which are capping gains, but at the same time, the demand picture has improved. […] Read more
Australia blocks foreign firm’s deal for largest farm owner
Sydney | Reuters –– Australia on Thursday blocked the sale of the country’s largest landowner, private farming group S. Kidman and Co., to foreign investors, saying an agricultural area the size of South Korea should remain in Australian hands. Ownership of farmland is a sensitive political issue in Australia amid concerns that foreign buyers are […] Read more
U.S. livestock: CME live cattle finish strong after wild ride
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle contracts closed higher on Tuesday amid massive short-covering spurred by higher wholesale beef values that overcame selling led by lower cash price expectations for later this week, traders said. Spot December finished at 128.025 cents/lb., up 0.35 cent, and February 0.925 cent higher at 130.575 cents […] Read more