Montreal/Toronto | Reuters — A union is taking the unusual step of pursuing contempt of court charges against Canada’s second-largest railroad, in a previously unreported case that escalates the debate over working hours for railroad employees, according to two sources and legal documents. The Teamsters union argued in court filings that Canadian Pacific Railway should […] Read more
Teamsters seek charges against CP to cap working hours
AAFC lowers canola ending stocks forecast
MarketsFarm — Canadian canola ending stocks will be much tighter than earlier thought, according to updated supply/demand tables which were released late Thursday by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and account for the latest production numbers from Statistics Canada. AAFC’s projected canola ending stocks for 2019-20 were lowered to 3.5 million tonnes, which compares with the […] Read more
Opinion: When it comes to rules, it matters who writes them
Reading Time: 4 minutes I recently read The Myth of Capitalism where author Jonathan Tepper argues that if competition is a key tenet of capitalism, then it’s a myth to say the 21st-century economy is capitalistic. Many industries lack true competition and are dominated by monopolies and oligopolies, allowing them to charge higher prices and pay lower wages. One […] Read more
Buckle up — grain markets are in for a bumpy ride
Politics, protectionism and the increasing odds of a global recession make for a ‘tough market’
Reading Time: 5 minutes Trade wars around the globe have created a turbulent marketplace for Canadian farmers — and the wild ride isn’t likely to end any time soon. “Over the past two years, the markets really stand apart from what I’ve seen in the 30 years that I’ve been following the grain markets,” said Mike Jubinville, senior market […] Read more
Saskatchewan to relocate ag extension office
The Saskatchewan government is set to make housemates of one of its crop insurance offices and one of its ag extension service sites east of Saskatoon. The province announced Wednesday it will relocate an existing agriculture extension services office from Watrous in March, moving it about 80 km north to the city of Humboldt. “We […] Read more
Pulse weekly outlook: Drop in India’s production may lead to lower duties
MarketsFarm — There’s a possibility the government of India could lower its import duties on pulses, including those from Canada, according to reports. With India’s monsoon rains having continued longer than usual, production of the country’s kharif (summer) pulse production fell by almost two million tonnes. Prior to the monsoons, market expectations called for 10.1 […] Read more
CN reports grain movement back at pre-strike pace
Canadian National Railway’s grain shipping is back to its pre-strike pace, the railway says. “By the second week of December (week 19), CN returned to shipping at peak levels, as well as taking on all customer hopper demand for the second and third weeks of December,” Montreal-based CN said in a release Thursday. “Despite a […] Read more
G3 plans two more Prairie elevators
Prairie grain handler G3 plans to add another 76,000 tonnes of grain handling capacity in southwestern Saskatchewan and eastern Alberta. The Winnipeg company announced Thursday it will start work in early 2020 on new grain elevators at Swift Current, Sask. and Vermilion, Alta. for completion in 2021. Both new elevators are to be built with […] Read more
Pulse weekly outlook: Balance sheet tightening
MarketsFarm — Canadian pea and lentil production failed to live up to earlier projections, according to the latest survey data from Statistics Canada. While both crops are still forecast to be above their year-ago levels, the tightening supply expectations should underpin prices. Canada’s 2019-20 lentil crop was pegged at 2.17 million tonnes in the government […] Read more
Major grain traders’ e-transaction platform gets name
The blockchain-based global commodity transaction platform being developed by six of the world’s biggest agrifood firms is moving ahead with a new name and project leader. The six companies — ADM, Bunge, Cargill, Louis Dreyfus, Cofco and Glencore Agriculture — announced Wednesday the project will be named Covantis, and have hired former ADM executive Stefano […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
