Crops
Reuters — U.S. food companies and other opponents of genetically modified food labeling notched a key victory on Tuesday as the House of Representatives’ agriculture committee approved a measure banning mandatory labeling as well as local efforts to regulate genetically engineered crops. The move demonstrates fresh momentum for those seeking to block mandated labeling of […] Read more
U.S. House committee approves block on mandatory GMO labels
U.S. grains: Corn tumbles from year high on drier weather outlook
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn futures retreated from an earlier one-year high and fell nearly three per cent on Tuesday on technical selling and forecasts for crop-friendly weather in the U.S. Wheat futures also were lower, pressured by the advancing winter wheat harvest. Soybean futures were little changed as a Monday report of a […] Read more
Farmers play last card in planned CWB class action
One claim remaining from an unsuccessful bid at a class action suit by four Prairie farmers, over payouts to producers from the former Canadian Wheat Board, will be the farmers’ basis for a new filing. The four farmers, whose previous proposed class action was dismissed with costs in April by the Supreme Court of Canada, […] Read more
FCC to offer breaks on loans in Sask., Alta.
Customers of Farm Credit Canada in parched areas of Alberta and Saskatchewan may be able to get breaks on their outstanding loan payments. FCC on Monday announced it would work with affected customers on “solutions for their operation(s)” such as deferral of principal payments and/or otherwise amending their loan payment schedules. The offer applies to […] Read more
CWRS bids mixed, CPSR weakens with U.S. futures
CNS Canada — Cash bids for Canada Western Red Spring (CWRS) bids were mixed during the week ended Friday, as prices in Manitoba and Saskatchewan followed U.S. futures lower, but basis levels in Alberta saw some improvements due to unfavourable dry growing conditions. Average CWRS wheat prices were anywhere from C$6 per tonne lower to […] Read more
Get your timing right with PGRs
By increasing or decreasing hormone production, plant growth regulators can either promote or limit growth
Reading Time: 3 minutes Plant growth regulators may offer some benefits, but the timing and staging of their application is critical. “Plant growth regulators change the hormone relationships within plants and can increase or decrease hormone production,” Phil Bernardin, a technical rep with Engage Agro, said at Farming Smarter’s recent field day. In cereals, plant growth regulators act as […] Read more
U.S. grains: Corn hits one-year high on supply outlook, crop conditions
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn futures rose on Monday for the fifth straight session, hitting a one-year high on better-than-expected demand and as heavy rains limited the yield potential of the new crop. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, in a monthly report issued Friday, surprised investors, showing corn and soybean supplies at levels smaller […] Read more
Manitoba buckwheat in need of higher temperatures
CNS Canada — Manitoba’s buckwheat crops are off to a good start, little affected by storms, but now the crops need heat. According to Rejean Picard, a provincial farm production extension advisor at Somerset, Man., the crops started off strong, as June’s weather provided good establishing conditions. The same can’t be said for July, however. […] Read more
ConAgra names activist investor nominees to board
Reuters — ConAgra Foods said it would add two directors, including a former Nestle executive nominated by Jana Partners, three weeks after the activist investor took a stake in the food processing company and called for changes. ConAgra will appoint former Nestle USA CEO Bradley Alford and former Walgreens Boots Alliance CFO Timothy McLevish to […] Read more
U.S. grains: Corn sets one-year highs on tighter old-crop U.S. supply
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn futures reached one-year highs and soybeans jumped on Friday as the U.S. Agriculture Department made bigger-than-expected cuts to its estimates for stocks of crops left over from last year’s harvests. The reductions, revealed in a monthly USDA report, added to concerns about supplies among traders worried that persistent rains […] Read more