Winnipeg | Reuters — Congestion at Port Metro Vancouver, Canada’s busiest port, has been resolved and rail operations are now “fluid,” Canadian National Railway said Friday. Canadian National and rival Canadian Pacific Railway were rationing space on trains travelling in the Vancouver area and prioritized some commodities over others to deal with congestion, causing complaints […] Read more
Rail now moving fluidly through Vancouver, CN says
Pulse weekly outlook: Lentils, peas get new profile as protein source
Health Canada has unveiled its new food guide, which switches the focus from portion sizes to a balanced diet and includes protein from sources like peas and lentils. For the Canadian pulse crop industry, it’s a narrative they’ve been sharing for years. The new Canada’s Food Guide is “also sort of a realization that there […] Read more
Bunge names acting CEO, cuts 2018 guidance
Reuters — Global grains trader Bunge appointed one of a slew of new board members as its acting CEO on Tuesday and cut its 2018 earnings forecast as the U.S.-China trade war battered soybean prices and devalued the company’s inventory in Brazil. Gregory Heckman, a founding partner of private investment firm Flatwater Partners and former […] Read more
Railways ration space as commodity congestion problems worsen
Winnipeg | Reuters — Canada’s two major railways are rationing space on trains traveling to the country’s biggest port and recently prioritized some commodities over others to deal with congestion, the latest indication of their struggle to meet demand from new trade deals. That move prompted Canada’s transport regulator last week to start an investigation […] Read more
A large weed seed bank is a ‘gift that keeps taking’
No till, chaff collection, forage in rotation, and chemical control all reduce weed pressure
Reading Time: 3 minutes Below the soil surface lurks the weed seed bank — the predominant source of weed pressure on current and future crops. “You do not want to draw on this bank account,” said provincial crop specialist Harry Brook. “It is a source of annual and perennial weeds that will wait for years before the right conditions […] Read more
Brazil ag minister eyes indigenous land for commercial farming
Brasilia | Reuters — Brazil should open indigenous land to commercial farming, Agriculture Minister Tereza Cristina Dias said on Friday, while also seeking to soften many of President Jair Bolsonaro’s controversial stances on native people and the environment. Farmers form a key base of support for right-wing firebrand Bolsonaro who since taking office Jan. 1 […] Read more
It doesn’t hurt to check, says grain commission
Only licensed grain companies are required to post security that ensures farmers are paid for deliveries
Reading Time: 2 minutes The Canadian Grain Commission is reminding producers that only licensed grain companies provide security that ensures farmers are paid when they deliver grain. “Do you know if the company you’re delivering to is licensed?” the commission asked in a recent tweet. A complete list can be found under ‘Licensed grain companies’ at the Canadian Grain […] Read more
Drying grain may become the norm as harvests trend later
Natural air drying with supplemental heat hasn’t caught on in Alberta yet, but it soon could
Reading Time: 5 minutes Alberta farmers may need to get used to leaving grain in the field at harvest. “Harvest might be starting earlier, but poor weather during the harvest season is slowing down that last little bit of harvest, and there’s more and more crop being left in the field in October,” said Joy Agnew, program manager at […] Read more
Pulse weekly outlook: Fewer U.S. acres likely due to surplus
CNS Canada — Large crops followed by poor export demand have led to burdensome supplies and cut into pulse prices in the U.S., which should cut into acreage ideas for peas, lentils and chickpeas in 2019, an industry official says. “With the trade issues we’re facing right now, we have quite a surplus,” said Shannon […] Read more
U.S. shutdown sends grain traders, farmers hunting for data
Chicago | Reuters — When the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced a slew of key farm reports would not be released on Friday due to the partial government shutdown, the phones at crop forecaster Gro Intelligence blew up. The USDA was set to release its views on the projected size of U.S. soybean stockpiles, among […] Read more