Grain firm Richardson Pioneer’s crop input retail business is expanding into an area of eastern Alberta its network hasn’t yet reached. The company, an arm of Winnipeg-based agrifood firm Richardson International, closed a deal April 4 to buy Eagle Agro Services, an inputs dealer at Veteran, Alta., about 200 km east of Red Deer. The […] Read more
Richardson moves further into eastern Alberta retail
AFSC lowering crop insurance premiums this year
The provincial crop insurer says it is reducing premiums by an average of eight per cent
Reading Time: < 1 minute Agriculture Financial Services Corporation is lowering crop insurance premiums. “On average, 2018 premium rates for crops are eight per cent lower than they were in 2017,” AFSC said in a news release. “The decrease in premium rates is a reflection of the generally good growing conditions over the past few years, which resulted in positive […] Read more
Bayer to sell digital farming business to BASF
Frankfurt | Reuters — Germany’s Bayer plans to sell its digital farming business to BASF as part of changes to concessions it has offered to win over antitrust regulators for its proposed takeover of Monsanto . Bayer, which had previously only agreed to grant a licence to competitors, said on Wednesday that as part of […] Read more
Peas are a bit of bright spot in a gloomy year for pulses
Market watchers say peas have some support but India’s tariffs will weigh heavily for quite a while
Reading Time: 3 minutes It’s a bad pun, but there is a bit of a case to ‘give peas a chance’ this year. “Peas are looking better than lentils. If I had to bet on one versus the other, I would probably favour peas,” said Chuck Penner of LeftField Commodity Research. “The reason for that is we hear all […] Read more
Pulse weekly outlook: Low prices change growers’ marketing tack
CNS Canada — After years of western Canadian farmers rushing to lock in pulse crop contracts during the spring, this year that hasn’t been the case. “Normally I would say that I’d have my plant booked to December and I don’t have a single thing booked this year. But does that mean we’re not going […] Read more
They just keep coming — another new elevator going up
New 42,000-tonne grain terminal marks G3’s first, but not last, foray into Alberta
Reading Time: 3 minutes G3 Canada is expanding west with two new elevators on the Prairies — including its first in Alberta. The new elevator to be built in Westaskiwin will be a state-of-the-art, high-throughput facility, said the company’s vice-president of business development. “Alberta is a province of growth for us,” said Brett Malkoske. “Since we formed G3 (in […] Read more
Bayer gets U.S. approval to buy Monsanto: report
Reuters — German drugs and pesticides group Bayer has reached a deal with the U.S. Justice Department for antitrust approval for its US$62.5 billion bid to acquire Monsanto by agreeing to sell additional assets, the Wall Street Journal reported Monday. The Justice Department reached an agreement in principle with the two companies in recent days, […] Read more
Pulse weekly outlook: China/U.S. dispute could open window for peas
CNS Canada — As trade tariffs between China and the U.S. mount, so too does the potential for other countries to swoop in and plug the gap in whatever market may need filling. While U.S. soybeans are the most significant of the crops included so far in the tit-for-tat battle of proposed tariffs, it seems […] Read more
Arysta plans market expansion in Western Canada
CNS Canada — Arysta LifeScience, a crop chemical company known in Western Canada for its line of Everest products, now wants to become a household name for Prairie farmers. Platform Specialty Products, Arysta’s parent company, last Aug. 24 announced plans to separate its agricultural solutions and performance solutions segments. Platform Specialty chairman Martin Franklin said […] Read more
CP conductors, engineers authorize strike
Montreal | Reuters — Canadian Pacific Railway conductors and locomotive engineers on Friday voted to authorize a strike action that could have the 3,000 workers walk off the job as early as April 21, Teamsters Canada said in a statement. The workers, whose collective agreement expired late last year, are asking for more predictable schedules […] Read more