CNS Canada –– The Baltic Dry Index is finally starting to show some stability after setting fresh record lows on a near-daily basis for the past few months. The BDI set a record of 290 points on Feb. 10, but has since posted gains for the past four sessions, settling at 301 on Tuesday. It […] Read more
Ocean freight index bobs up from recent floor
Sask. rancher charged as missing equipment found
A western Saskatchewan cattle rancher faces charges of theft and possession of stolen goods after the discovery of missing tractors, balers, trucks and other equipment Thursday. Iain Stables, 38, is due in Provincial Court in Saskatoon on April 14 to answer to 29 criminal charges, Saskatoon RCMP said in a release Friday. Saskatoon and Warman […] Read more
Crude’s slide hampers demand for Canadian biofuel
CNS Canada — The trickle-down effect of slumping crude oil prices is being felt in the Canadian biofuel market and softening demand for corn and soybeans. Traditionally, ethanol is cheaper than gasoline, which encouraged processors to blend more than the mandated amount, according to Andrea Kent, president of the Canadian Renewable Fuels Association (CRFA). “When […] Read more
VIDEO: e-QuipTV: “Big Roy” 2, the restoration continues
Soon-to-be-completed restoration will see the big Versatile returned to the Manitoba Agricultural Museum in Austin
Reading Time: < 1 minute Grainews returns to Versatile’s R&D shop in Winnipeg to check in on Big Roy’s progress, and we talk to Adam Reid, Versatile’s marketing manager, about what else the company has in store for its 50th anniversary celebrations. Video editing by Greg Berg.
Baltic index slips to fresh low, demand concerns persist
Reuters — The Baltic Exchange’s main sea freight index, which tracks rates for ships carrying industrial commodities, slipped to another all-time low Tuesday on worries about vessel oversupply and slowing global demand. The overall index, which gauges the cost of shipping dry bulk including iron ore, cement, grain, coal and fertilizer, fell four points or […] Read more
Cruz’s Iowa victory could show Big Corn’s waning influence
New York | Reuters — U.S. Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz’s victory on Monday in corn-rich Iowa could represent a major blow to the country’s controversial biofuels program, reflecting its waning influence over politicians even in the U.S. farm heartland. Cruz, a conservative senator from Texas and outspoken opponent of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), […] Read more
CN to challenge latest grain revenue penalty
Ordered to hand over more than $7 million in Prairie grain handling revenue and related fines for the 2014-15 crop year, Canadian National Railway now plans to challenge the bill in court. Montreal-based CN on Monday filed in the Federal Court of Appeal, seeking leave to appeal the Canadian Transportation Agency’s (CTA) Dec. 29 finding […] Read more
German regulator investigates possible tractor cartel
Duesseldorf | Reuters –– Germany’s anti-trust regulator said Friday it was investigating a possible cartel of companies making agricultural machinery, particularly tractors. It did not name any targets of the probe. German agricultural trading group Baywa said the cartel office had searched its headquarters earlier this week on suspicion that some of its employees were […] Read more
CP cuts raise worry over potential slowdown
CNS Canada –– Canadian Pacific Railway’s decision to cut 1,000 jobs has caught the attention of two Prairie farm leaders. Norm Hall, president of Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan, worries the move is short-sighted and may catch up with the railway in months and years to come, when commodity prices catch fire again. “You dump […] Read more
Major investment to build Farmers Edge’s data power
Canadian precision agronomy and farm data management firm Farmers Edge plans to keep taking its services to previously underserved acres around the world, with a major cash infusion from a group of its backers. Japanese commodities trading and investment firm Mitsui, Toronto commercial real estate company Osmington and the Green Growth Fund operated by investment […] Read more
