The Michelin Man is set to take on much more field work with a US$1.45 billion deal for Quebec off-the-road track and tire manufacturer Camso. The deal, pending regulatory approval, calls for France’s Michelin to combine its off-the-road (OTR) business with Camso in a new division. “By joining forces with Camso, Michelin will create the […] Read more
Michelin to buy ag track maker Camso
Italy in no rush to reject EU-Canada trade deal
Brussels | Reuters — Italy is in no hurry to bring the European Union’s free trade agreement with Canada to a parliamentary vote, its farm minister said on Monday, suggesting its opposition to the deal may be easing. Ministers of the eurosceptic 5-Star/League government have said Italy would not ratify CETA (the Comprehensive Economic and […] Read more
National job vacancy rate increases in ag sector
CNS Canada — The national job vacancy rate in the agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting sector is increasing compared to the same period a year ago. Data for the first quarter of 2018, ending April 30, showed a vacancy rate of 6.9 per cent in the sector compared to 5.3 per cent in the first […] Read more
Forecaster sees 65 per cent chance of El Nino emerging in fall
Reuters — Chances of the emergence of the El Nino weather pattern have increased to 65 per cent during the fall and 70 per cent during winter 2018-19, a U.S. government weather forecaster said on Thursday. The last El Nino, a pattern that brings a warming of ocean surface temperatures in the eastern and central […] Read more
Consider hedging against rate hikes, farmers advised
CNS Canada — The Bank of Canada has raised its benchmark interest rate to 1.5 per cent, marking the fourth time it has raised rates since last summer. The increase from 1.25 per cent is the base rate retail banks pay for short-term loans, but consumer rates for mortgages, lines of credit and other loans […] Read more
Trump says ‘getting there’ in NAFTA talks
Washington | Reuters — U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday progress was being made in slow-moving talks to update the NAFTA trade accord between the U.S., Canada and Mexico, but he held out the prospect of striking bilateral pacts if a three-way deal could not be reached. “We’re trying to equalize it. It’s not […] Read more
Mixed weather finds Alberta crops, pasture, hay conditions improve
Alberta crop conditions as of June 12, 2018
Reading Time: 2 minutes Over the past week, most areas of the province received timely rains, with the highest rainfall accumulations since the beginning of June seen in the North East Region, and the lowest in the western parts of the Southern and Central Regions. This weather system was also responsible for hail and strong winds, in different parts […] Read more
Canada says agreed with U.S. to keep NAFTA alive, no talks set
Reuters — Canada agreed with the U.S. on Thursday that slow-moving talks to update NAFTA should continue, although they did not set a date for the next round, a senior official said in remarks casting further doubt on the chances of a deal this year. Negotiations to modernize the North American Free Trade Agreement started […] Read more
CONTEST CLOSED – Free to good home: Farm Progress tickets
Editor’s Note, June 11, 2018: This contest is now closed. Thanks for checking out our websites and if you’re going to the show, have a great time and safe travels. Haven’t got your tickets yet for Canada’s Farm Progress Show? We might. Glacier FarmMedia, Canada’s largest publisher of newspapers and magazines for farmers, and operator […] Read more
Heavy factory, dealer discounts fuel U.S. truck price war
Reuters — Heavy discounts of up to US$16,000 per vehicle are fueling a “truck war” among full-size pickups sold in the U.S. by the Detroit Three, a Reuters analysis shows. Strong U.S. sales this year of the highly profitable big trucks have helped offset lagging passenger car sales. But it is not clear how much […] Read more