Lorne Hehn, at his funeral last week, was remembered as the Saskatchewan farmer-turned-businessman who led the Canadian Wheat Board toward its next-to-last incarnation as a farmer-controlled marketing agency. Hehn, who died Sept. 16 at age 79, had farmed at Markinch, about 65 km north of Regina, and was involved in several farm organizations, becoming a […] Read more

Former UGG, CWB chief Lorne Hehn, 79

Oat prices remain under pressure
CNS Canada –– Oat prices continue having trouble breaking through key resistance figures as harvest winds down across the Prairies. “They’re (prices) below what farmers like… having trouble breaking that $3 a bushel level in Manitoba and $2.50 in Saskatchewan,” said Ryan McKnight of Linear Grain at Carman, Man. So far, he said, very few […] Read more

General Mills recalls 1.8M boxes of gluten-free Cheerios
Reuters — General Mills is recalling 1.8 million boxes of gluten-free Cheerios cereal because they may contain wheat, which can cause adverse reactions in people with gluten allergies. The company said Monday it was recalling the original and honey nut-flavoured varieties of Cheerios produced on certain days at its Lodi, California facility, saying wheat flour […] Read more

PotashCorp withdraws takeover bid for K+S
New York/Frankfurt | Reuters –– PotashCorp said Monday it had withdrawn its 7.9 billion euro (C$11.6 billion) offer for German potash producer K+S, citing a decline in global commodity and equity markets and a lack of engagement by K+S management. K+S shares dropped 24 per cent after Potash announced its decision in a statement, wiping […] Read more

Light rains delay harvest, province estimates more than half complete
Alberta crop conditions as of September 29, 2015
Reading Time: 2 minutes Over the weekend, most parts of the province received light rains which were enough to delay harvesting operations. However, producers were able to make better harvest progress this past week than during the previous week. Harvest is estimated to be 58 per cent completed provincially, up 12 per cent from last week. While 25 per […] Read more

Glencore reported in talks on agriculture assets
Reuters — Glencore is in talks with a Saudi Arabian sovereign wealth fund and China’s state-backed grain trader COFCO, along with Canadian pension funds, to sell a stake in its agricultural assets, sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. Selling assets is one prong of a wider strategy by the Swiss-based trader and miner to […] Read more

StatsCan comes in at low end of expectations for canola
CNS Canada — Despite an upward revision of nearly a million tonnes in Statistics Canada’s latest report, most analysts expect canola production will keep climbing further. StatsCan on Friday morning released its updated grain/oilseed production estimates, with data collected through surveys taken between Sept. 3 and 13. Canola production numbers came in at 14.3 million […] Read more

ConAgra to cut 1,500 jobs, shift base to Chicago from Omaha
Reuters — ConAgra Foods said it would cut about 1,500 jobs and move its headquarters to Chicago from Omaha as part of a plan to save at least US$300 million in three years. The maker of Chef Boyardee pasta and Healthy Choice dinners is under pressure to cut costs and accelerate growth as consumers shift […] Read more

CHS says Viterra intriguing at right price
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. farm co-operative and grains trader CHS Inc. would be interested in the Canadian grain handling assets of embattled commodities trader Glencore, but only if they came at a discounted price, CHS CEO Carl Casale said in an exclusive interview. As part of a debt-reduction plan, Swiss-based Glencore has said it […] Read more

Next StatsCan survey expected to show larger canola, wheat crops
CNS Canada — Yields are generally beating earlier expectations as the harvest progresses across Western Canada, which should lead to upward revisions to canola and wheat when Statistics Canada releases its latest production survey results Friday. However, those numbers still may be underreported, and further revisions are expected in subsequent reports. “As the harvest is […] Read more