VIEW FROM THE SOUTH: Bet on China goes bad

Chinese buying prompted U.S. hog and soybean farmers to ramp up production that’s now looking for a home

Reading Time: 3 minutes Representatives from the largest pork-exporting states in the U.S. happened to find themselves at a Manitoba pork meeting days after China announced it was slapping tariffs on U.S. pork. They were as confused, and worried, as everyone else about what was coming next. “The marketplace is obviously reacting, but it’s important for us to take […] Read more

(File photo)

India hikes chickpea duty again

CNS Canada — The Indian government has raised its import tariff for chickpeas for a second time, this time from 40 per cent to 60 per cent. The government said Thursday in the Gazette of India its tariff is to be imposed immediately, due to circumstances which make it necessary to take immediate action. Reuters […] Read more



(PortMetroVancouver.com)

Adverse weather slows West Coast grain movement

Adverse weather at Canada’s West Coast is causing a backup of vessels waiting to load grain, according to the latest weekly Grain Monitoring Program performance update compiled by Quorum Corp. A total of 30 ships were waiting in Vancouver as of Sunday, which compares with the year-to-date average of 22, according to the report. A […] Read more


(Dave Bedard photo)

More canola, wheat acres expected at pulses’ expense

CNS Canada –– Canadian farmers will seed more wheat and canola in 2018 at the expense of pulse crops, according to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s latest supply/demand estimates that include their first projections for the upcoming 2018-19 crop year. Total canola acres in 2018 are forecast at 24 million by the government agency, which would […] Read more

Red lentils. (Photo courtesy U.S. Dry Pea and Lentil Council)

India imposes duties on chickpeas, lentils

CNS Canada — India is introducing immediate 30 per cent tariffs on imports of chickpeas and lentils, the country’s government announced Thursday. The import duties follow the 50 per cent tariff on yellow peas India introduced in November, and come as part of ongoing efforts by India to support farmers. “Production of chana (chickpeas) and […] Read more



Photo: Muhammad Mahdi Karim.

U.S. bee numbers growing

CNS Canada – Honeybee populations are rising in the United States, turning around a recent trend of declines attributed to a set of factors know as colony collapse disorder. It’s estimated that 84,430 hives were lost to the disorder in the first quarter this year. That’s down 27 per cent from a year earlier. Year-over-year […] Read more


Photo: File

Argentine wheat seedings slowed by rain

CNS Canada – Argentina’s hope for a near-record wheat crop have been dampened by excessive rain and below-average seedings. With planting nearly complete, the United States Department of Agriculture office in Buenos Aires has estimated the Argentine wheat crop at 12.8 million acres. That falls about one million acres below the official USDA forecast of […] Read more

Photo: iStock

Asian taste for western diet boosts Australian wheat

CNS Canada – Vietnam has quietly grown to become Australia’s second largest export destination for wheat. Driving the demand is the iconic banh mi, a Vietnamese baguette-style sandwich filled with pork or chicken and spices. Vietnam imports 1.5 million tonnes of Australian wheat, based on 2016 figures, compared to 380,000 tonnes 10 years ago, said […] Read more