New York | Reuters — The Trump administration is considering allowing the sale of a higher-ethanol fuel blend in the summer, a source familiar with the issue said, a move that would placate corn growers worried about the future of U.S. biofuels policy. U.S. President Donald Trump recently met with the heads of the Environmental […] Read more
Trump administration weighs high-ethanol fuel waiver to placate farmers
Bayer to sell digital farming business to BASF
Frankfurt | Reuters — Germany’s Bayer plans to sell its digital farming business to BASF as part of changes to concessions it has offered to win over antitrust regulators for its proposed takeover of Monsanto . Bayer, which had previously only agreed to grant a licence to competitors, said on Wednesday that as part of […] Read more
Trump seen putting biofuel reform push on ice, for now
New York | Reuters — The Trump administration will delay any moves to reform the nation’s biofuel policy for about three months, according to three sources briefed on the matter — a decision one of the sources said was meant to shield farmers worried about a potential trade war with China. The decision comes after […] Read more
Canada reports progress on NAFTA, says ‘we’re not there yet’
Ottawa/Mexico City | Reuters — Mexico, Canada and the U.S. have made good progress in their bid to modernize the NAFTA trade pact but still have work to do, Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland said Wednesday. Freeland also said she would be flying to Washington for a meeting on Thursday with U.S. Trade Representative Robert […] Read more
Richardson to take food innovation downtown
Canadian grain and agrifood firm Richardson International plans to marshal its food research and product development crews in a new downtown Winnipeg space. The privately-held, Winnipeg-based company announced Wednesday it will put up over $30 million to build what it calls the Richardson Innovation Centre, a four-story, 62,000-square foot facility to go up a block […] Read more
Morriss, Pakosh, Streichs named to ag hall of fame
The Manitoba farmers who developed the rotary separator for combines, the co-founder of Versatile and the long-time editorial director for the website you’re reading are bound for Manitoba’s Agricultural Hall of Fame. The hall of fame on Monday unofficially announced its 2018 group of inductees, ahead of its annual meeting Wednesday in Portage la Prairie […] Read more
Senate hands back transport bill, with changes
Federal legislation sought by farm groups wanting improvements to rail service for the grain sector is on its way back from the Senate to the House of Commons. Senators on Thursday afternoon passed Bill C-49, the Transportation Modernization Act, on third reading — but with several amendments proposed Wednesday by the standing Senate committee on […] Read more
Canadian railways in catch-22 over crude shipment
Reuters — Canadian railway operators see a lucrative opportunity to transport more crude oil to the U.S. as a rise in output forces producers to find new routes to its southern neighbour. However, their need for long-term contracts and the pressure to move a surplus of grains in the country is making it hard to […] Read more
Ontario power utilities offer farm water pump rebate
Ontario farmers buying certain types of high-efficiency water pumping systems for irrigation, horticulture or stock watering could now be up for rebates. Hydro One and Niagara Peninsula Energy (NPEI) on Friday announced the AgriPump rebate program, which the two electricity utilities described as the first plan of its kind in the province. For farmer customers […] Read more
‘Clean’ tech adoption up for federal funding
Provinces and territories can apply starting April 1 for chunks of a three-year, $25 million federal fund to support programs that encourage on-farm adoption of precision ag tools or use of renewables from ag waste. Federal Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay on Monday launched the fund, to flow through what’s dubbed the Agricultural Clean Technology (ACT) […] Read more
