Mexico City | Reuters — Mexico’s incoming government will pursue a bilateral deal with Canada if talks to overhaul the North American Free Trade Agreement falter, Mexican president-elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Friday. After more than a year of talks to modernize the NAFTA trade pact between the United States, Mexico and Canada, […] Read more
Mexico says will seek deal with Canada if NAFTA talks fail
NAFTA talks grind on with little sign of deal
Washington | Reuters — Canada and the U.S. showed scant sign of being close to striking a deal on revamping the trilateral NAFTA that underpins US$1.2 trillion in annual trade, as Canadian sources played down talk of a U.S. quota on autos. Canada says it does not feel bound by a U.S.-imposed deadline for the […] Read more
Ottawa budgets $117 million to reconnect Churchill
The federal government’s latest commitment to restore and maintain rail service from the eastern Prairies up to Hudson Bay will involve $117 million over the next 10 years. Ottawa’s pledge follows the Aug. 31 announcement of a deal for a private/public partnership group to buy the Hudson Bay Railway line, which has been closed since […] Read more
Trucker shortage troublesome for Prairie cattle industry
CNS Canada — As large volumes of cattle make their way to western Canadian auction marts this fall, buyers are having problems finding truckers to haul them. Those problems may get worse in the future, as federal regulations for cattle hauling could possibly change. “I would say it’s worse this year than other years so […] Read more
ADM ramps up ethanol sales in Chicago, irking rivals
New York/Chicago | Reuters — Archer Daniels Midland has sold unusually high volumes of ethanol into the Chicago market since late last year as export markets dried up, driving down prices in the U.S. Midwest and angering the company’s rivals, according to traders and regulatory data. The Illinois-based global commodities powerhouse, a major ethanol producer, […] Read more
Grain firms warn of competitive fairness on Churchill assistance
CNS Canada — The Western Grain Elevator Association (WGEA) wants assurances that any government incentives used to upgrade the rail line to Churchill, Man., and the port there are not used to support competing businesses. Wade Sobkowich, executive director of the WGEA, said the organization’s membership of major grain-handling companies are concerned their competitors could […] Read more
Ford recalls two million trucks over seat-belt fire concerns
Washington | Reuters — Ford Motor Co. said on Thursday it would recall two million F-150 pickup trucks in North America to address fire concerns relating to seat belts that have been linked to three serious incidents but no injuries. The second-largest U.S. automaker said it was aware of 17 reports of smoke or fire […] Read more
Drone data firm invests in precision ag analytics
Southwestern Ontario crop input retailer and grain handler South West Ag Partners has made a deal to sell its precision agriculture analytics business to an expansion-minded drone data provider. Toronto-based Deveron UAS announced Aug. 28 it will trade a 9.9 per cent share of its business plus $320,000 cash for South West Ag’s Veritas Farm […] Read more
AGT sees ‘further port access’ in Hudson Bay deal
The grain industry player in a deal to restore and restart the Hudson Bay Railway and Port of Churchill has factored the port’s access to Arctic tidewater into its business plan. Regina-based pulse processor AGT Food and Ingredients is one of the members of the Arctic Gateway Group, which on Friday confirmed a deal to […] Read more
Hudson Bay rail line repairs to start ‘immediately’
Off-and-on talks toward a new ownership group for the Hudson Bay Railway have produced a deal, which it’s hoped will lead to the line’s repair before this winter, federal officials announced Friday. Federal Trade Diversification Minister Jim Carr and Northern Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc announced the Arctic Gateway Group Limited Partnership has bought the Hudson […] Read more
