Crops
Los Angeles | Reuters –– The 29 ports on the U.S. West Coast were effectively closed to cargo freighters for the second time in less than a week on Thursday under a partial shutdown imposed by shipping lines and terminal operators in an escalating labour dispute with the dockworkers’ union. The loading and unloading of […] Read more
U.S. West Coast ports undergo partial shutdown
U.S. grains: Soybeans rise on exports; corn, wheat weak
Chicago | Reuters –– Soybean futures firmed Thursday on signs that export demand for U.S. supplies remained robust despite expectations of bumper harvests in Argentina and Brazil, traders said. Wheat and corn futures were weaker, pressured by ample global supplies, but both commodities remained within recent ranges. Soybeans received an additional boost from technical buying […] Read more
Another union serves CP with strike notice
Barring last-minute deals or back-to-work legislation, staff handling locomotive and rail car inspection, maintenance and repair at Canadian Pacific Railway may join the company’s engineers and conductors on strike Sunday. Unifor, which represents about 1,800 CP employees, announced Thursday it served CP late Wednesday night with strike notice for 12:01 a.m. Sunday (Feb. 15), following […] Read more
Regulator clears Brazil agribusiness’ takeover of railway
Brasilia | Reuters — Brazil’s antitrust regulator Cade on Wednesday approved the takeover of the country’s main railway operator America Latina Logistica SA by Cosan Logistica SA, with restrictions to protect against unfair market advantages. The lead Cade investigator on the case, Gilvandro de Araujo, said restrictions on the merger would include guarantees of third-party […] Read more
Chickpea prices subdued, bounce unlikely in short term
CNS Canada –– Weather issues in India have generated some rumblings in the international chickpea market recently, but prices remain subdued in Western Canada and aren’t expected to see any significant strength in the near term. “The chickpea market is still being dominated by very cheap Russian and Argentine supplies,” said Colin Young of Midwest […] Read more
ICE weekly outlook: Canola hangs tough with loonie
CNS Canada –– ICE Futures Canada canola contracts were rangebound for the week ended Wednesday, but managed to post slight gains overall as a weaker Canadian dollar supported values. “Weakness in the Canadian dollar is the underlying supportive factor,” said Keith Ferley of RBC Dominion Securities in Winnipeg. Funds are very long right now, he […] Read more
Labour minister says CP, engineers urged to bargain
Vancouver | Reuters — Federal Labour Minister Kellie Leitch on Wednesday said she was encouraging the parties at Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) to bargain, but declined to speculate on what Ottawa might do if workers went out on strike. CP said its managers will be ready to take over if the railway’s engineers and conductors […] Read more
U.S. grains: Soybeans, wheat turn higher on bargain buying
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat and soybeans were narrowly higher on Wednesday, rebounding from losses earlier in the session on support from bargain buying and active spread trading after prices tumbled following a bearish government crop report released on Tuesday. Corn futures trimmed losses but still finished lower at the Chicago Board of Trade, […] Read more
Wild pollinators earn their keep on the farm
Wild pollinators may boost yields and help crops mature more uniformly, and also are a natural source of pest protection
Reading Time: 3 minutes It’s crop-planning season and that means it’s a good time for making plans to create a wild pollinator habitat near your crops. Having a strong pollinator population can offer a benefit to crops, said Mark Wonneck, an ecologist at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in Calgary. Bees are an important part of both alfalfa production and […] Read more
Opportunities for organic hemp growers
Manitoba Harvest and Hemp Oil Canada are still looking for organic producers
Reading Time: 2 minutes An Alberta Agriculture crop specialist says there are opportunities for growing hemp in the province, particularly organic hemp. “Many people may now be aware that the majority of the hemp grown in Alberta is for seed purposes,” said Harry Brook, crop specialist with the Alberta Ag-Info Centre in Stettler. “The market is strong for hemp […] Read more