Reuters — Agrium said Thursday it will keep its only potash mine shut for longer than expected after a breakdown last week, and the downtime will cause it to lose $40 million on wholesale potash operations in the second half of this year. The Calgary-based fertilizer and ag retail company halted production at its Vanscoy, […] Read more
Agrium potash mine to stay shut longer, loss expected
W. Canada spring wheat, durum yields look second-biggest ever: crop tour
Reuters — Western Canada spring wheat and durum yields this year look to fall from last year’s high levels, but the still bountiful production should offset some losses from flooded farms, leaders of a crop tour said on Thursday. The inaugural Cereals North America Canadian crop tour pegged spring wheat yield potential in the region […] Read more
Western Canada wheat yields higher than average
Yorkton, Sask.— Spring wheat and durum yields are trending above average in Western Canada, but large pockets had no crop after heavy rain earlier this month, a crop tour observed on Wednesday. Much of the crop that survived is also developing late in western Manitoba and eastern Saskatchewan and will need extra time to ripen […] Read more
Rains leave swampy, fallow fields in Manitoba, Saskatchewan -scouts
Spring wheat and canola fields in western Manitoba and southeastern Saskatchewan are dotted by cattails and swamps, while others are unplanted or abandoned, evidence of heavy spring rains that reduced Canada’s potential crop output, scouts on a crop tour said on Tuesday. Other spring wheat and canola fields are growing but are less mature than […] Read more
Southern Manitoba canola growth more varied than usual – scouts
Canola crops in southern Manitoba are growing at a wider range of stages than usual, with many behind their normal development stage, scouts touring the fertile western Prairies found on Monday. Some canola was just beginning to flower, while other crops were in full bloom, canola’s critical development period. Other fields of canola in south-central […] Read more
Floods drown Prairie crops, ruin old supplies
Winnipeg | Reuters –– Floods that washed across Saskatchewan and Manitoba last weekend hit farmers twice, drowning newly seeded fields of wheat and canola, while also ruining stockpiles of last year’s crops. Heavy rain of up to 260 millimetres (10.2 inches) swamped the eastern side of Western Canada’s crop belt last weekend, submerging crops, washing […] Read more
Packers slow production citing worker shortage
Winnipeg | Reuters — Canadian meat packers are short hundreds of workers, forcing plants to run at well below full capacity, the Canadian Meat Council said Monday. Plants are operating at 77 per cent of capacity on average, based on a survey by the industry group, resulting in more Canadian cattle and hogs are being […] Read more
‘Bully’ U.S. wrong to criticize Canada on trade, Ritz says
Winnipeg | Reuters — Canada’s federal Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz lashed out at the U.S. for acting like a “schoolyard bully” on trade issues, and said he sees more promise in negotiating a bilateral deal with Japan than the more ambitious Trans-Pacific Partnership. Ritz, in an interview with Reuters on Wednesday, also said it would […] Read more
Saputo eyes mergers, acquisitions in U.S., Canada, Australia
Reuters — Canada’s largest dairy producer, Saputo, still digesting a major purchase in Australia, is examining other possible acquisitions there and in the U.S., Canada and Latin America, CEO Lino Saputo Jr. said Thursday. In the U.S., potential acquisitions could cost less than $100 million to as much as $4 billion, Saputo said in a […] Read more
Russia’s Uralkali plans potash output near maximum capacity
New York | Reuters — The world’s biggest potash producer, Russia’s Uralkali, plans to produce close to its maximum capacity this year but does not rule out idling production to support the crop nutrient’s price, CEO Dmitry Osipov said Thursday. Uralkali is aiming to produce 12 million tonnes of its 13 million-tonne potash capacity this […] Read more
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