Crops
U.S. food companies spent almost as much lobbying Congress in the first quarter of 2014 as they did in the full year in 2013, a sign the industry may have intensified its fight against state labelling requirements for genetically engineered foods, according to a report released Tuesday. The Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA), along with companies […] Read more
Food industry lobbying spikes amid GMO fight-report
Rains leave swampy, fallow fields in Manitoba, Saskatchewan -scouts
Spring wheat and canola fields in western Manitoba and southeastern Saskatchewan are dotted by cattails and swamps, while others are unplanted or abandoned, evidence of heavy spring rains that reduced Canada’s potential crop output, scouts on a crop tour said on Tuesday. Other spring wheat and canola fields are growing but are less mature than […] Read more
Grain groups urge USDA to restore inspections at Washington port
A coalition of U.S. grain groups has urged the Department of Agriculture to immediately restore official grain inspection services at the Port of Vancouver, Washington, which is involved in a long-running labor dispute. In a letter to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, the 22 national, regional and state organizations said disruptions at the port “put at […] Read more
GRAINS – U.S. corn, soybeans, wheat drop after recent gains
CHICAGO, July 29 (Reuters) – U.S. wheat futures fell 2.8 per cent to fresh contract lows on Tuesday due to plentiful global supplies as well as strong competition on the export market, traders said. Corn and soybean futures also fell as forecasts for rain in the U.S. Midwest next week alleviated concerns about dry conditions reducing harvest prospects for both […] Read more
U.S. soy, corn ratings drop for first time in more than a month
U.S. corn and soybean condition ratings fell in the latest week, the U.S. Agriculture Department said on Monday, the first decline for both crops in five weeks. USDA said that soybeans were rated 71 percent good to excellent as of July 27, a 2 percentage point decline from a week earlier. Good-to-excellent ratings for corn […] Read more
Brazil farmers say GMO corn no longer resistant to pest
Genetically modified corn seeds are no longer protecting Brazilian farmers from voracious tropical bugs, increasing costs as producers turn to pesticides, a farm group said on Monday. Producers want four major manufacturers of so-called BT corn seeds to reimburse them for the cost of spraying up to three coats of pesticides this year, said Ricardo […] Read more
Southern Manitoba canola growth more varied than usual – scouts
Canola crops in southern Manitoba are growing at a wider range of stages than usual, with many behind their normal development stage, scouts touring the fertile western Prairies found on Monday. Some canola was just beginning to flower, while other crops were in full bloom, canola’s critical development period. Other fields of canola in south-central […] Read more
Grain drain — are carryover projections off the mark?
Canada will carryover more grain than usual when the crop year ends July 31, but analysts say it may be less than some people think. That mountain of Western grain created from a record harvest last fall, combined with poor rail service until spring, is being whittled away. In its July Outlook for Principle Crops […] Read more
Stripe rust update: July 24, 2014
Weather providing good infection conditions, but development progressing slowly
Reading Time: < 1 minute Dr. Denis Gaudet at AAFC-Lethbrige, and his crew, surveyed fourteen winter wheat and 22 spring wheat fields were surveyed for stripe rust in the Lethbridge, Warner, Taber, Forty Mile and Cypress counties of southern Alberta. Regular thunder showers and cool evening temperatures have provided good infection conditions for development of stripe rust. However, stripe rust […] Read more
GRAINS: Corn bounces but posts 5th weekly loss on supply pressure
Reuters — U.S. corn futures inched higher on bargain buying Friday but posted a fifth consecutive weekly loss as expectations of record yields in this autumn’s harvest continued to hang over the market, traders said. Wheat rose on short-covering buying as the market consolidated above contract lows set this week, while soybeans ended mixed. At […] Read more