Winnipeg | Reuters –– Rain looks to splash parched farms on Western Canada’s Prairies over the next week as concerns mount that soil is too dry for canola to grow normally. Offsetting the concern somewhat is the region’s brisk pace of planting, which may wrap up by the weekend. The southern Prairies will be lucky […] Read more
Light rain on way for Prairie crops, but ‘soaker’ needed
PotashCorp evaluating SQM, ICL stakes
New York | Reuters –– PotashCorp CEO Jochen Tilk said Thursday he views the company’s stakes in fertilizer companies Sinofert and Arab Potash Co. as “strategic,” but continues to review whether to keep its shares in ICL and SQM. Tilk, speaking at a BMO investor conference in New York, said if Saskatoon-based PotashCorp could not […] Read more
Mosaic sees lost potash sales if Sask. hikes taxes
New York | Reuters –– U.S. fertilizer producer Mosaic Co. would lose potash sales if Saskatchewan raises taxes on miners, and customers choose competitors from other countries, its CEO said on Wednesday. “If they were to tax more, we would suffer from that, we would sell less, our profits would be less and they will […] Read more
Richardson targets U.S. acquisitions
Winnipeg | Reuters — Richardson International, one of Canada’s largest grain handlers, is seeking expansion in the U.S. through acquisitions worth $100 million to as much as $2 billion, its CEO said Thursday. Richardson, which now owns two U.S. mills, is interested in Andersons Inc. and private companies Bartlett and Scoular, as well as co-operatives, […] Read more
Prairie farmers set fastest planting pace in a decade
Winnipeg | Reuters — Western Canada’s farmers are sowing crops at the speediest pace in about 10 years, which bodes well for an early, large harvest this autumn. More than half of the region’s farmland is planted, compared with the usual pace of one-quarter, due to dry conditions, said Bruce Burnett, weather and crop specialist […] Read more
Bunge resumes canola crushing after fire, soy line down
Reuters — Agrifood firm Bunge Ltd. restarted canola processing at its Hamilton, Ont. plant late Thursday after a fire, spokeswoman Deb Seidel said Friday. She said the plant will resume soybean processing after the investigation into the fire is complete and water is cleaned up. There were no injuries, she said. According to Hamilton’s fire […] Read more
Cost-cutting Mosaic CEO collects $5.5M pay raise
Reuters — U.S. fertilizer producer Mosaic Co. boosted its CEO’s pay last year by more than $5 million as a reward for slashing costs and jobs, a regulatory filing shows. Construction of excess potash capacity and fiercer competition have pressured the sector, and leading North American producers Mosaic, PotashCorp and Agrium have chopped expenses. Mosaic […] Read more
Taiwan, Japan ban Ont. poultry over avian flu
Winnipeg | Reuters — Japan and Taiwan have imposed trade restrictions on poultry and poultry products from Ontario, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency said Tuesday, a day after avian flu was confirmed in the province. The government agency said a turkey farm near Woodstock, Ont. was under quarantine after the presence of H5 avian influenza […] Read more
Canada reducing number of meat inspections, union says
Winnipeg | Reuters –– The Canadian government, under pressure to eliminate its budget deficit, has reduced the frequency of inspections at certain Alberta meat-packing plants and plans to cut spending on food safety, the food inspectors’ union said on Tuesday. The cutbacks follow two major meat recalls over foodborne illness in recent years. Ottawa had […] Read more
Soybeans cut swath through Prairie wheat belt
Winnipeg | Reuters –– Soybeans, once a novelty in western Canadian fields, are poised to reach record-large acreage again this year, and some of the world’s biggest seed companies are betting they have further room to grow in a region known for wheat and canola. Farmers on the eastern side of the Prairies are turning […] Read more
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