Reuters — The main U.S. refining industry association said on Monday it sued to block the Trump administration’s effort to expand sales of higher ethanol blends of gasoline, arguing the move exceeded the administration’s authority. The legal challenge from the American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM) association escalated a battle between the oil and corn […] Read more

U.S. refiner group sues Trump EPA over E15 gasoline

Update: Vancouver lockout of longshoremen ends
Winnipeg/Ottawa | Reuters — A lockout of longshore workers at Canada’s biggest port, the Port of Vancouver, ended in a deal on Thursday after a few hours, averting a potentially massive shipping disruption, the workers’ union and employers association said. The lockout was immediately lifted and the union also withdrew its strike notice, according to […] Read more

Mandatory Saskatchewan farm trucker training planned
The training exemption offered in Saskatchewan for semi truck drivers in agriculture operations is now set to be phased out within two years, the province said Wednesday. The provincial government in late 2018 announced it will require a minimum of 121.5 hours of training before a driver can obtain a Class 1 commercial driver’s licence, […] Read more

Canada’s realized net farm income way down in 2018
Stagnant farm cash receipts against significant increases in feed, fuel and interest costs have led to Canada’s biggest decline in realized net farm income in over a decade. That’s according to Statistics Canada, which on Tuesday released full-year farm income data for 2018, pegging realized net farm income for the year at $3.9 billion, down […] Read more

Canada takes first step on ratifying USMCA trade deal
Ottawa | Reuters — Canada took a first step toward ratifying the new North American trade agreement on Monday just three days ahead of U.S. Vice-President Mike Pence’s trip to Ottawa to discuss the passage of the treaty. Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland presented what’s known as a ways and means motion to the House of […] Read more

Federated Co-op buying Saskatchewan ethanol plant
Federated Co-operatives is set to lock in an ethanol supply for its member co-ops’ gas stations with a deal for a major Saskatchewan wheat ethanol producer. FCL announced Wednesday it will buy the Terra Grain Fuels ethanol plant in the RM of Pense near Belle Plaine, about 25 km east of Moose Jaw, for an […] Read more

Canada vows ‘full steam ahead’ on ratifying trade pact
Ottawa | Reuters — Canada will move quickly to ratify the new North American trade pact, Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland said Saturday, a day after the United States agreed to lift tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum. U.S. President Donald Trump had imposed the global “Section 232” tariffs of 25 per cent on steel and […] Read more

U.S. boosts trade pact’s outlook lifting tariffs on Canadian, Mexican metals
Washington/Ottawa | Reuters — The United States struck deals on Friday to lift tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from Canada and Mexico, the three governments said, removing a major obstacle to legislative approval of a new North American trade pact. The separate agreements, which will not impose U.S. quotas on Canadian and Mexican metals […] Read more

‘Show’ and ‘grow’ synonymous for Ag in Motion
Langham, Sask. — Living up to its name, Glacier FarmMedia’s Ag in Motion has reached its five-year anniversary with no sign of slowing down. “It’s very exciting for me personally to have a show that the group of us started from a canola field into an event that’s now grown to the size that it […] Read more

B.C. longshoremen vote in favour of strike
MarketsFarm — Longshore workers at the Port of Vancouver have voted overwhelmingly in favour of a strike. Members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) voted 98.4 per cent in favour of strike action against the member companies of the B.C. Maritime Employers Association (BCMEA), the union said Friday. In a letter to union […] Read more