(Canest-transit.ca)

Montreal longshore workers escalate strike

Strike to move from part-time to full-time on Monday

Exports of containerized crops and other goods and imports of ag inputs may stall as striking longshore workers at the Port of Montreal get set to level up from part-time to full-time work stoppage. The Syndicat des debardeurs du port de Montreal (CUPE Local 375) said Friday its members, who have been striking on weekends […] Read more

(Dave Bedard photo)

More canola, less wheat expected ahead of StatsCan report

'Returns per acre are just so much stronger'

MarketsFarm — Canadian farmers are seen as likely to plant more canola and barley and less wheat this spring, as market participants await the first survey-based estimates from Statistics Canada on Tuesday to confirm the extent of that shift. “Canola will gain acres and wheat will lose acres,” said MarketsFarm Pro analyst Mike Jubinville, pointing […] Read more


Although overlap can be greatly reduced with sectional control, it can’t be completely eliminated as was shown in trials conducted last year for Alberta Pulse Growers. The study also found there was less overlap of larger seeds (such as peas on left) versus smaller ones (like canola on right).

Sectional control minimizes, but doesn’t eliminate overlap

The theoretical savings are great but overlap still happens, and size of both seed and sections matters

Reading Time: 4 minutes Unless you farm some magical piece of land where there are no stone piles, hills, water bodies or other obstacles to get around, you will always have some overlap. That extra seed or fertilizer can cost you big bucks over time — which is why stories about sectional control technology often focus on the potential […] Read more

Edmonton plant-ingredient company expands

Reading Time: < 1 minute Edmonton-based BioNeutra is getting a $2.9-million interest-free federal loan to grow its product line of organic plant-based food ingredients. The funding from Western Economic Diversification Canada will allow the company, founded in 2003, to buy equipment that will double its manufacturing capacity and move its bottling processes from a foreign supplier to its Alberta facility. […] Read more


(File photo by Dave Bedard)

CP CEO rules out raising Kansas City Southern bid

CP's first-quarter profit climbs

Reuters — Canadian Pacific Railway CEO Keith Creel said Wednesday the company will not raise its bid for U.S. railroad Kansas City Southern, saying bigger rival Canadian National’s offer is “not a real deal.” The two bidding companies are locking horns to take control of a vast network of railways across North America, with CN […] Read more

Screenshot from an Alberta Agriculture video profiling Innisfail-based pulse and grain handler W.A. Grain and Pulse Solutions. (Alberta Agriculture and Forestry via YouTube)

CGC suspends W.A. Grain’s licences to month-end

The firm, with facilities in Saskatchewan and Alberta, can't buy or sell grain in the interim

Licences for Prairie grain and pulse handler W.A. Grain and Pulse Solutions and its primary elevators in Alberta and Saskatchewan have been suspended by the Canadian Grain Commission (CGC). The suspensions took effect at 12:01 p.m. Tuesday, a CGC official said in an interview. “This means for a limited period of time (until April 30) […] Read more


A freight train at Manchac, La., about 75 km east of Baton Rouge. (CN.ca)

CN challenges CP with Kansas City Southern bid

KCS shareholder warns U.S. regulator 'doesn't like overlap'

Reuters — Canadian National Railway said on Tuesday it had offered to buy Kansas City Southern railroad for about US$33.7 billion, sending shares of the U.S. rail company soaring as investors anticipated a bidding war with Canadian Pacific Railway. CP had agreed a deal to acquire Kansas City Southern for about $25 billion last month […] Read more

The Canadian Grain Commission building on Main Street in Winnipeg. (File photo)

Virtual town hall on federal Grain Act set for Friday

Time is running out on consultations, but the April 23 event gives farmers a chance to provide input

The deadline for submitting comments to the federal government’s review of the Canada Grain Act and Canadian Grain Commission (CGC) is April 30, but farmers can also offer feedback at a ‘virtual’ town hall meeting this Friday. The Grain Act and its regulations provide the framework for Canada’s grain quality assurance system and it’s the […] Read more


(iStock photo)

Pulse weekly outlook: Slight increase in lentil acres likely

Increase 'won't be as big as people think'

MarketsFarm — Lentil acres are likely to increase slightly when farmers take to planting this spring, according to Marlene Boersch of Mercantile Consulting Venture Inc. in Winnipeg. The pulse industry will get a better idea of what will be going into the ground over the coming weeks on April 27, when Statistics Canada releases its […] Read more

Mayo Schmidt, shown here in Winnipeg in 2007, has been named CEO of Nutrien. (Dave Bedard file photo)

Ex-Viterra chief Schmidt named Nutrien’s new CEO

Chuck Magro stepping down for 'new opportunities'

Canadian fertilizer and ag retail giant Nutrien has tapped a familiar name in agribusiness to lead the company, as the CEO it’s had since birth steps aside. Saskatoon-based Nutrien said Monday its board has named its current chairman, Mayo Schmidt, as the company’s new CEO. Replacing Schmidt as Nutrien’s chair is Russ Girling, former CEO […] Read more