Crops
Miami | Reuters — Cargill, one of the world’s largest privately held corporations and a top commodities trader, will likely remain private for at least another decade, its CEO said on Tuesday as he assessed challenges facing the 150-year old company. David MacLennan, who has led Cargill for the past 13 months, also revealed that […] Read more
Cargill likely to stay private, CEO says
Molson Coors sells U.K. malting business to Soufflet
London | Reuters — Molson Coors UK has agreed to sell its U.K. maltings business Shobnall Maltings to French grain buyer Soufflet Group, the two companies said in a joint statement Monday. The deal will allow Soufflet to enter the British malt market, the second largest in the European Union, while allowing Molson Coors to focus […] Read more
Prairie CWRS bids improve slightly despite weaker futures
CNS Canada — Average cash bids for Canada Western Red Spring (CWRS) wheat generally moved higher during the week ended Friday, despite continued weakness in U.S. futures, as basis levels improved in many areas. Average CWRS prices were steady to up by as much as $4 per tonne, with the highest average bids in Manitoba, […] Read more
Mild weather poses risks for Prairie winter wheat
CNS Canada — Milder-than-normal temperatures across Western Canada over the past week could raise some issues for its winter wheat crops, though snow cover and conditions through the rest of the winter will also be important. “It’s not ideal conditions for winter wheat, and I’d anticipate that we’d see some damage,” said CWB analyst Bruce […] 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
U.S. grains: Soybeans rebound from three-month low, led by soymeal
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Board of Trade soybean futures rebounded from a three-month low on Monday, led by export demand for U.S. soymeal, a key source of protein in animal feed rations, traders said. Wheat and corn closed lower. At the CBOT, March soybeans settled up 10-3/4 cents at $9.83-1/2 per bushel, rallying after […] Read more
Grain shippers’ data show ongoing rail supply/demand gap
Numbers newly crunched by a clutch of Canadian grain shippers paint a picture of a gap that’s wide, and getting wider, between the numbers of rail cars they say they need and what they say they’re getting. The Ag Transport Coalition — which so far includes eight Canadian grain-handling and crop commodity groups, working with […] Read more
Politics no barrier as Iran, Russia buy U.S. grain
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. political tensions with Iran and Russia have proved no barrier to those countries buying American grain, according to data released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture on Friday. Iran bought 66,000 tonnes of U.S. corn last week for the first time in three years, according to USDA weekly export sales […] Read more
Nova Scotia MP named parliamentary ag secretary
A promotion at the federal Tories’ cabinet table has led to the appointment of a new parliamentary secretary on the agriculture file. Gerald Keddy, MP for the Nova Scotia riding of South Shore-St. Margaret’s since 1997, was named Friday to replace Ontario MP Pierre Lemieux as parliamentary secretary for Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz. Lemieux, the […] Read more
Fertilizer prices stray away from corn influence: Analyst
CNS Canada — Foreign exports and transportation look like they could be the main issues facing the fertilizer industry in 2015. Countries such as Ukraine, Russia and Belarus are busy players on the market, with Morocco also ramping up production. As a result, more supplies of phosphates and other fertilizers are out there, according to […] Read more