Crops
Chicago | Reuters –– Maturing corn and soybeans in the northern U.S. Midwest may see an early freeze this weekend that could damage crops still far behind in development, with agronomists saying this year’s record harvests may be trimmed. Minnesota, South Dakota and Wisconsin crops are immature after late planting and a cool summer, raising […] Read more
Early freeze looms for some crops amid U.S. bumper grain forecast
Cargill suing Syngenta over sale of GM corn banned by China
Chicago | Reuters — Cargill, the top U.S. grain exporter, sued a unit of Syngenta in a Louisiana state court on Friday for damages stemming from China’s rejection of genetically modified U.S. corn, which Cargill said cost the company more than US$90 million. Minnesota-based Cargill accuses Syngenta of exposing the grain trader to losses by […] Read more
Fertilizer firm ICL files for U.S. listing
Reuters — Israel Chemicals Ltd., a Tel Aviv-based maker of fertilizer and specialty chemicals, filed with U.S. regulators to list on the New York Stock Exchange. ICL set a nominal fundraising target of about $522.4 million though an initial public offering of 62 million ordinary shares, it said in a filing to the U.S. Securities […] Read more
Rogers Sugar plans layoffs at Montreal refinery
As a cost-cutting measure in a “very competitive” domestic sugar market, Rogers Sugar plans to cut back its Montreal refinery’s workforce by 59 employees. The Montreal plant, run by Rogers subsidiary Lantic, will cut the positions through “layoffs, early retirements and voluntary departures,” the company said Wednesday. Canada’s sugar industry operates in an open market, […] Read more
U.S. grains: Wheat to four-year lows on rising world supplies
Chicago | Reuters –– U.S. wheat futures fell to a four-year low on Friday and posted their biggest weekly loss since July on weak export prospects and rising global supplies, traders said. Corn futures followed wheat lower but held above the previous day’s multiyear lows, and soybeans firmed, underpinned by short covering ahead of forecasts […] Read more
PotashCorp miners rescued after fire
Reuters –– The last of 96 miners trapped after a fire in PotashCorp’s biggest Saskatchewan potash mine was rescued late Thursday, after some of them had spent more than 24 hours underground. The mine halted production when the fire started, and a spokesman for PotashCorp, the world’s second-biggest potash producer, said it would assess the […] Read more
Frost spreads to Sask. as harvest lags
Winnipeg | Reuters –– Freezing temperatures spread on Friday into Saskatchewan — Canada’s biggest producer of spring wheat and canola — chilling some of the country’s most immature crops. Temperatures dipped to between -3 C and -1 C in parts of Saskatchewan, while other areas stayed above freezing, according to Environment Canada data. Temperatures of […] Read more
Massive claims force EU to halt Russian fruit ban aid
Brussels | Reuters — The European Union halted an aid plan for fruit and vegetable growers hit by a Russian import ban after Polish farmers claimed far more compensation than EU officials reckon the entire bloc exports to Russia in a year. An EU official said none of the 125 million euros (US$162 million) set […] Read more
Frost hits Alberta crops
Winnipeg | Reuters — Freezing temperatures covered much of Alberta early Thursday, raising the risk of damage to wheat, barley and canola crops that did not fully develop. Overnight temperatures included lows that were just slightly below freezing to well below, according to Environment Canada data. The national weather service reported a low of -6 […] Read more
Sunflowers prepare to deal with frost challenges
CNS Canada — As the potential for frost mounts in Western Canada, sunflower watchers say the crop should be OK, as long as temperatures don’t hit -4 C or lower. Troy Turner, an agronomist with the National Sunflower Association of Canada, said his phone began ringing last week when cooler temperatures approached Manitoba; farmers wanted […] Read more