Reuters — There is about a 65 per cent chance that neutral weather conditions will prevail in the Northern Hemisphere this spring with no El Niño or La Niña, up from 60 per cent last month, a U.S. government weather forecaster said on Thursday. The El Niño-Southern Oscillation-neutral (ENSO) weather pattern is marked by average […] Read more
U.S. forecaster sees 65 per cent chance of no spring El Nino, La Nina
Business risk management program reforms in development
Changes expected to be announced in July
Recommendations are now being crafted for Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau on how to improve business risk management (BRM) programs for farmers in Canada. It’s expected changes to BRM programs will be announced in July when Bibeau and her provincial counterparts meet in Guelph. The recommendations are coming after a study by MPs on the Commons […] Read more
Diesel prices expected to trend lower
MarketsFarm — Canadian producers may enjoy a lower diesel bill during spring seeding, as reductions in demand have weighed on diesel prices across North America. Patrick DeHaan, head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy, said retail diesel prices are down by about 10 to 15 cents per litre since the beginning of the year. The drop […] Read more
Chances of flooding in Manitoba depend on weather
MarketsFarm — Manitoba has issued its spring thaw forecast of 2020 — with high water levels coming for the Red River. That’s due to significant soil moisture levels left over from the fall and above-normal snow levels in the river’s U.S. watershed. “Our focus is currently on the Red River, where we are expecting a […] Read more
NYC equity firm to buy Xplornet
New investment expected to speed up rural broadband rollouts
A Manhattan private equity firm deep in “middle-market infrastructure” has committed to buy, and help improve service from, Canada’s single biggest rural broadband provider. New Brunswick-based, privately held Xplornet Communications announced Thursday it has signed a deal to sell majority control itself to Stonepeak Infrastructure Partners. The two companies’ announcement didn’t put a dollar figure […] Read more
Fraser: In ag marketing, emotions need to start trumping facts
Emotional transparency 'actually goes a long way'
Go to an agricultural event and someone will inevitably point out how bad farmers are at getting their message to consumers. As annoying as it is, those comments underscore an increasingly important theme in Canadian agriculture: communication. It used to be enough to grow and market your crops, but that has changed dramatically over the […] Read more
EU-Canada trade deal clears hurdle in Dutch parliament
Amsterdam | Reuters — The European Union’s free trade agreement with Canada cleared a political hurdle on Tuesday, when a slim majority of lawmakers in the Dutch lower house voted to ratify the contested deal. Votes by members of the country’s governing coalition were enough to approve the deal, which was rejected by opposition parties […] Read more
Xplornet buys Ontario’s Silo Wireless
Deal includes rural wireless, fibre services
Canada’s biggest rural broadband company has expanded its space in the southwestern Ontario market by buying internet and fibre-to-home provider Silo Wireless. New Brunswick-based Xplornet Communications, whose client list already includes over a million rural customers in all provinces, announced it has closed its deal to buy Silo for an undisclosed sum. The deal gives […] Read more
Average Prairie heat, more rain in summer forecast
MarketsFarm — Canada’s Prairies should see higher-than-normal precipitation and generally average temperatures during the 2020 growing season, according to a forecast from Scott Kehler of Weatherlogics. Speaking Thursday at CropConnect in Winnipeg, Kehler said “there’s not really a strong pattern one way or the other” when it comes to the temperature outlook. The Weatherlogics forecast […] Read more
Ottawa’s Agriculture Day gathering a sector-wide affair
Agriculture Day celebrations across Canada on Tuesday included a conference in Ottawa with roughly 500 attendees from across the ag sector. Hosted by Agriculture More than Ever, the event aimed to bring together people involved in agriculture, food and agribusiness. “We’re having a gathering to celebrate Canadian agriculture and food and the contributions that we […] Read more