Seoul | Reuters — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ordered improvements to infrastructure and expansion of farmland to ramp up food production, state media said on Thursday, amid warnings of an impending food crisis. Kim gave instructions to revamp irrigation systems, build modern farming machines and create more arable land as he wrapped up […] Read more
North Korea’s Kim demands more farmland to boost food production
Crop, livestock prices offset reduced marketings in 2022
StatCan data on farm cash receipts tracks recovery off 2021 drought
New full-year data on Canada’s farm cash receipts in calendar 2022 show how increased commodity prices last year more than offset the drop in quantities sold. Statistics Canada on Tuesday released figures showing Canadian farm cash receipts in 2022 at $94.9 billion, up 14.1 per cent from 2021, including crop receipts of $53.9 billion (also […] Read more
Pulse weekly outlook: Peas seeing good Prairie movement
MarketsFarm — Peas are seeing good movement in Western Canada ahead of spring, although prices have held steady over the past month. “The yellow pea market has some life again,” said Allan Johnston of Johnston’s Grain at Wellwyn, Sask. He added there were also a few companies chasing after some coverage for green peas with […] Read more
Bulk ocean freight rates recover off lows
Container rates remain in downtrend
MarketsFarm — Ocean freight rates have shown some strength in late February, with the Baltic Dry Index (BDI) recovering off two-and-a-half-year lows hit earlier in the month. The BDI, a major indicator of bulk shipping rates, has risen for seven straight sessions to settle Monday at 935 points, up from the low of 530 points […] Read more
Cash advance window for farmers now open
Reading Time: < 1 minute Farmers can now apply for cash advances for the 2023 growing season. Producers can get up to $1 million with the first $250,000 interest-free. The latter is worth more this year because interest rates are so much higher, note administrators of the Advance Payments Program. “With rising interest rates, the savings a farmer can realize […] Read more
Pulse weekly outlook: AAFC report makes minor changes
Revisions mainly in dry peas, chickpeas
MarketsFarm — Following the latest supply and demand estimates from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), MarketsFarm Pro analyst Mike Jubinville said their numbers “all seem reasonable enough.” There were only a handful of small tweaks to pulses in the AAFC report released Friday. For the most part, the revisions came with dry beans and chickpeas. […] Read more
Multi-million-dollar fund greenlights soil health projects
Eight projects to push soil health practices will get funding for the next five years
Eight soil health projects across Canada will be getting a multi-million-dollar boost in private funding over the next five years. The Weston Family Foundation — the philanthropic arm of the Weston business empire — has slated $10 million for those eight projects through the organization’s soil health initiative, it was announced Feb. 13. The initiative […] Read more
CN’s mechanics, clerical staff taking strike votes
Railway not expecting impact on operations
Canadian National Railway says it’s not expecting any impact on its operations if its unionized mechanics and clerical staff are involved in a work stoppage, depending on the outcome of strike votes starting this week. Unifor represents about 3,000 CN workers in mechanical, intermodal and clerical positions across the country through five collective agreements, all […] Read more
AAFC revises crop estimates
Export, new-crop production outlooks revised lower for flax
MarketsFarm — Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) on Friday released its February supply and demand estimates with numerous small changes. AAFC held its projections for 2022-23 grains and oilseeds production at 89.489 million tonnes. As for exports, the department reduced them from 45.715 million tonnes last month to now 45.49 million. Furthermore, domestic usage was […] Read more
A seed show more than a century in the making
Two dozen classes of seeds on display at North American Seed Fair
Reading Time: 2 minutes It’s the new and shiny equipment that gets the lion’s share of attention, but the other part of the Ag-Expo and North American Seed Fair is worth a look, too. This year’s edition of the seed fair is the 126th, making it one of the oldest such fairs in Western Canada. “It’s the oldest ribboning […] Read more