Crops
Reading Time: 3 minutes In Bruce Feiler’s book entitled Walking the Bible, he has a discussion with his travel partner Avner as they were tightly squeezed into a nawamis, or tiny tomb, that pastoralists used 6,000 years ago as they made their way around the desert. Avner said, “Those in agricultural areas used technology to change the world around […] Read more
The grass is greener
People have long used technology to change the world to suit their purposes, but healthy soil is the foundation of it all
Canada’s canola crush pace hits six-month high
CNS Canada — Canada’s canola crushing pace jumped to its highest level in six months during the week ended Wednesday, according to data from the Canadian Oilseed Processors Association (COPA). Domestic crushers processed 153,102 tonnes of canola during the week, up more than five per cent from the week prior, COPA data shows. The last […] Read more
Green group targets Super Bowl’s official hummus
If you’re a chickpea grower and you didn’t already know it, you’ll be pleased to hear Americans watching the Super Bowl this weekend might not only be chowing down on chicken wings. Thanks to its designation as the National Football League’s (NFL) official dip sponsor, they could also be dipping into Sabra brand hummus, of […] Read more
Deere to cut over 900 U.S. workers as ag economy weakens
Chicago | Reuters — Deere and Co., the world’s largest maker of farm equipment, will lay off more than 900 employees at plants in Iowa and Illinois in the latest round of job cuts spurred by a decline in grain prices that is hurting demand for agricultural machinery. The layoffs, which represent about three per […] Read more
U.S. grains: Wheat falls on dollar pressure
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn futures firmed on Friday on support from bigger-than-expected U.S. export sales, traders said. “The exports are pretty important,” said Bill Gentry, broker at Risk Management Commodities in Lafayette, Indiana. “(They show) the corn has got some value at these and lower levels.” Soybeans dropped near three-month lows, capping a […] Read more
South sees overwintering stripe rust
Early-seeded winter wheat appears to be more susceptible even when resistant varieties are used
Reading Time: 2 minutes Researchers are continuing to monitor plots and a few fields for stripe rust survival throughout the winter and early spring. Evidence of overwintering stripe rust was found last year in central Alberta, and Agriculture Canada researcher Denis Gaudet has extended his stripe rust survey this winter to include some evaluations in southern Alberta. Eight winter […] Read more
CP books record profit, more grain revenue in 2014
Increased revenue from Canadian and U.S. grain traffic alike helped boost Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) to a record full-year profit in 2014. Calgary-based CP on Thursday reported net income of $1.476 billion on $6.62 billion for the year ending Dec. 31, up from $875 million on $6.133 billion in 2013. For its fourth quarter, the […] Read more
Work stoppage possible for CN engineers in mid-February
The union for engineers on Canadian National Railway’s (CN) trains warns a work stoppage could come as early as mid-February barring progress in talks with the company. The Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC) said Thursday CN has “refused” to extend conciliation talks, now due to end Saturday, by another 60 days. The engineers’ last collective […] Read more
U.S. grains: Markets weaken under pressure from firming U.S. dollar
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. grain and soybean futures slipped on Thursday as the rising U.S. dollar made farm products less competitive on the global market. The U.S. is having a hard time competing for grain export business, with Ukraine and South America undercutting U.S. corn prices, said Tomm Pfitzenmaier, analyst for Summit Commodity Brokerage […] Read more
Women players drop legal battle over World Cup turf
Reuters –– Players who had begun legal action over the use of artificial surfaces at this year’s Women’s World Cup have dropped their case, their lawyers said on Wednesday. A group of elite women’s players had sued FIFA and the Canadian Soccer Association (CSA), arguing that artificial turf surfaces for the tournament, which takes place […] Read more