MarketsFarm — Logistics disruptions due to COVID-19 are hampering nearby movement of pulses, according to a number of industry participants speaking Thursday on a webinar organized by the Global Pulse Consortium. However, the longer-term impact of the pandemic remains to be seen. “The shipping industry has been hugely impacted by COVID-19,” Chris Oliver, nautical director […] Read more
Logistics, lack of containers hamper pulse crop movement
Foreign workers starting to arrive, livestock group says
About 2,000 have recently arrived, several thousand more here soon, feeders say
About 2,000 foreign workers have arrived in Canada in recent weeks and more should be here soon, an official with the National Cattle Feeders Association says. “There are about 4,000 more that are expected to arrive shortly, so the process is starting to work,” Janice Tranberg, the association’s president and CEO, said during a telephone […] Read more
Pulse weekly outlook: Turkey may see larger red lentil crop
MarketsFarm — Turkey is expecting to see an increase in lentil production in 2020, according to a processor in the country. White bean production is also expected to rise, although chickpea production could be down slightly on the year. Fethi Sonmez, CEO of Turkey-based Armada Foods, expects to see red lentil production in the country […] Read more
Increased federal support for TFWs welcomed
Ottawa — The Canadian Horticultural Council says Monday’s federal announcement offering $50 million to help cover the extra costs associated with importing foreign workers this year is welcomed support. “We are finding that there are a lot of increased costs this year with COVID-19 and bringing in the employees, so having the extra money will […] Read more
Alberta, Ontario open online portals for domestic ag work
Canadian senators call for support for domestic ag workers
The Alberta and Ontario governments hope to set up “land armies” of available domestic workers to deploy on their provinces’ farms, in the event that seasonal and temporary foreign workers are unavailable. Both provinces this week announced they have set up online portals where residents can connect with farmers in need of workers. Such jobs […] Read more
Cold spring weather expected for Prairies
MarketsFarm — Temperatures in the Prairie provinces are expected to be colder than average this spring. “There’s no indication that temperatures will be above normal,” said Bruce Burnett, director of markets and weather for MarketsFarm in Winnipeg. Low temperatures will likely cause issues for seeding in areas of the Prairies that have received late-spring snowstorms. […] Read more
Canadian, U.S. farms face crop losses on foreign worker delays
Winnipeg/Chicago | Reuters — Mandatory coronavirus quarantines of seasonal foreign workers in Canada could hurt that country’s fruit and vegetable output this year, and travel problems related to the pandemic could also leave U.S. farmers with fewer workers than usual. Foreign labour is critical to farm production in both countries, where domestic workers shun the […] Read more
Canola production paths diverge for Canada, Australia
Issues seen in Canadian crop quality, logistics
MarketsFarm — Canola production is on different paths in Canada and Australia, according to the respective attachés from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). For the world’s top two canola exporters, the attachés forecast production in Canada to remain steady and project strong gains for Australia. USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) published the reports Monday, […] Read more
Canadian farmland trending less affordable in FCC report
Average values continue rising across board
The average value of farmland in Canada is continuing to rise faster than farmers’ ability to generate revenue from it, Farm Credit Canada’s latest Farmland Values Report suggests. The report, released Monday, shows the average value of Canadian farmland rose 5.2 per cent in 2019 over 2018, the smallest year-over-year increase since 2010, and down […] Read more
China yet to resume all canola imports from Canada, officials say
No correction measures yet shown, Chinese foreign ministry says
Beijing | Reuters — China has yet to resume all canola imports from Canada, the foreign ministry said on Friday, after suspensions were imposed on some suppliers last year. Canola imports from some Canadian exporters were suspended by China because of quality reports and it has not received any correction measures, so imports have not […] Read more
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