Winnipeg | Reuters –– Western Canadian farmers, some of whom could not plant crops last year due to soggy soil, may be able to get a head-start on sowing their fields this spring. Canada is the world’s biggest canola exporter and the second largest wheat exporter, but its flat western provinces — Manitoba, Saskatchewan and […] Read more
Prairie farmers eye early start to seeding
Saskatchewan aims to ease potash tax’s price reliance
Winnipeg | Reuters — Resource-rich Saskatchewan wants to change the taxes it charges on production of potash, to better reflect output and lessen the influence of potash prices, the province’s economy minister said Thursday. Potash prices have weakened since 2012 as capacity has increased. Competition has also sharpened since the 2013 breakup of Belarusian Potash […] Read more
SQM stock plummets after directors from PotashCorp resign
Reuters — Shares in Chilean fertilizer group SQM plunged Wednesday after three board representatives from Saskatchewan’s PotashCorp resigned in protest at its handling of an illicit payments scandal that has shaken the Chilean establishment. SQM vice-chairman Wayne Brownlee, the chief financial officer at PotashCorp, and two directors stepped down late Tuesday after clashing with the […] Read more
U.S. grains: Corn falls on stronger dollar, ample supplies
Reuters — Corn fell one per cent on Friday and soybeans weakened slightly due to ample supplies and a stronger dollar, which made U.S. exports pricier. U.S. wheat hit a contract low before prices rose modestly due to bargain-buying, traders said. The nearby contract posted a weekly loss of six per cent. Spread trades involved […] Read more
U.S. grains: Wheat falls to five-month low on dollar, big supplies
Reuters — Chicago wheat futures fell to their lowest nearby price in five months on Thursday, pressured by the stronger dollar and huge global supplies. Soybeans fell for the fourth straight session on bleak export prospects in the face of stiff competition, traders said. Corn finished slightly higher. Chicago Board of Trade May wheat dropped […] Read more
Maple Leaf reduces Q4 loss, hikes dividend
Reuters — Meat processor Maple Leaf Foods reported a smaller, but still disappointing, quarterly loss on Thursday, as it worked through a plan to close older packing plants. Even so, the company will double its quarterly dividend to eight cents. CEO Michael McCain said the move reflected confidence in the business outlook. Maple Leaf, one […] Read more
ADM cuts biodiesel output as industry hit by weak margins
Winnipeg/New York | Reuters — Archer Daniels Midland , one of the world’s top biofuels producers, has slowed North American biodiesel output, the latest sign the industry is battling uncertainty over U.S. renewable fuel policy while the oil rout curbs demand. The Chicago-based agri business has “temporarily” shifted production at its Velva, N.D. oilseeds processing […] Read more
Canada seen sowing slightly less canola, more durum
Winnipeg | Reuters — Canadian farmers are leaning toward planting slightly less canola and more durum wheat, a Reuters survey of 12 traders and analysts showed on Monday. Farmers still have plenty of time to change plans for seeding, which starts in most of the Prairies by May, but many have already bought some of […] Read more
Supply management limits growth in Canada, Saputo says
Reuters — Canada’s tightly managed dairy sector limits domestic opportunities for Saputo, the country’s largest dairy, forcing it to focus on growth elsewhere, the company’s chief executive said Thursday. CEO Lino Saputo Jr. emphasized in an interview that the company is not lobbying Ottawa to either dismantle or preserve Canada’s supply management system for dairy, […] Read more
Sask. eyes tougher rules on investor farm buys
Saskatoon | Reuters — Saskatchewan is likely to tighten what are already some of North America’s strictest rules for purchasing farmland, as it looks to fend off big money managers hungry for what they see as a winning investment. The province, whose fertile plains grow more wheat than Argentina, has become the latest front in […] Read more
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