Challenges A Canada Grains Council panel identifies some new issues in wheat and barley marketing
Reading Time: 3 minutes There’s lots of optimism ahead of ending the wheat board’s monopoly Aug. 1, but there will be challenges too, according to a panel that spoke at the Canada Grain Council’s 43rd annual meeting in Winnipeg April 16. “I just say the sky is the limit now,” said Western Canadian Wheat Growers Association president Kevin Bender. […] Read moreOpen-market optimists post-CWB
Move to open market spurs debate on registration system
Quality Varietal control has made Prairie wheat famous, but critics say the system is too restrictive
Reading Time: 2 minutes The debate is heating up on whether a system that has made Prairie wheat synonymous with top quality is in need of an overhaul. Grain variety registration was a hot topic at the recent Canada Grains Council annual meeting, and while the current system has many defenders, others are calling for significant changes. Having a […] Read moreCWB hopes to continue to supply most wheat to Japan
Reading Time: 2 minutes The Canadian Wheat Board has the inside track on the lucrative Japanese market for Canadian milling wheat. White told a meeting in Somerset, Man. last month that he had just returned from Japan and is encouraged about prospects in that premium market. “I think they (Japan) want the CWB to be their main supplier and […] Read more
Richardson International to share top spot in Canada’s grain industry
STAYING POWER The patient 155-year-old firm outlasted the Pools, UGG and the wheat board
Reading Time: 3 minutes The pending multibillion-dollar sale of Viterra demonstrates the value of patient capital and private ownership, says Richardson International president Curt Vossen. Last month, publicly traded Viterra, Canada’s largest grain company, announced it was selling to the world’s No. 1 diversified commodities trader, Swiss-based Glencore, for $16.1 billion. But in a move believed aimed at getting […] Read moreNew ICE wheat contract will struggle
Liquidity A Winnipeg contract may have trouble competing with the established spring wheat market in Minneapolis
Reading Time: 2 minutes The outlook for the new ICE Future Canada’s wheat futures market isn’t great, according to Neil Townsend, the Canadian Wheat Board’s North American market analyst. The long-running spring wheat futures market in Minneapolis didn’t get enough business before the Winnipeg market launched in January, he said. As a result, Minneapolis wasn’t “liquid” enough — a […] Read moreCWB officials promote pools at grower meetings
Reading Time: 3 minutes While the Canadian Wheat Board had its monopoly, some farmers complained getting a “good, average price” for wheat wasn’t good enough. But in the coming open market, the board is betting lots will think that’s pretty good. “The average of the market through a pooling operation does actually return people the best value, overall, over […] Read more
Ontario organization to administer some Prairie advances
New player Ontario’s ACC wants to expand in the West, but only into crops that aren’t covered now
Reading Time: 3 minutes Farmers taking out cash advances on their crops this year will see some changes in who is administering the programs. As the Canadian Canola Growers Association expands its administration to take over the crops formerly handled by the Canadian Wheat Board, a new player has emerged to manage the program for several commodities in Ontario […] Read moreTit for tat: U.S. farmers may want to ship to Canada
Reading Time: 3 minutes Canada is considering changes to its wheat quality-control system making it easier for American farmers to ship wheat north of the border after the Canadian Wheat Board loses its monopoly Aug. 1. “We are working on an initiative that will see the grading systems more in parallel,” Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz told reporters Feb. 24 […] Read more
Chicken feet with 11 different herbs and spices?
Reading Time: 2 minutes The sight of a pretty Chinese girl preparing to gobble down a cooked chicken head might be a turn-off for North American meat eaters, but it represents a sexy new market for livestock producers. Asians are willing to pay a premium for the privilege of eating animal parts the industry can’t give away in domestic […] Read more
Wheat board rolls out first details of farmer contracts
Reading Time: 2 minutes Canadian Wheat Board staff are meeting with farmers across the Prairies to explain how the CWB will work with them after the monopoly ends Aug. 1. The wheat board will offer pools that cover most of the crop year, similar to those offered in the past, as well as shorter pools and cash and deferred […] Read more
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