Ottawa | Reuters — Canada will maintain restrictions on non-essential travel with the United States until the coronavirus outbreak in both nations is much less serious, a senior government official said on Friday. The comments by federal Public Safety Minister Bill Blair suggest that the ban on non-essential travel could stay for months to come, […] Read more
Canada to keep U.S. border curbs until pandemic much less serious
U.S. grains: Corn, soybeans sag on harvest pressure, investor caution
CBOT December wheat closes higher
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn and soybean futures fell on Friday on expectations for the harvest of both crops to expand in the heart of the Corn Belt, and on investor caution following news of U.S. President Donald Trump’s positive test for COVID-19, analysts said. Wheat futures firmed on concern about dry weather in […] Read more
Food retail order boom may ease after big quarter, Conagra says
Reuters — Conagra Brands put better-than-expected first quarter sales on Thursday down to heavy ordering by retailers worried about the durability of supply chains in the months ahead as a second wave of coronavirus cases takes hold. Shares in the foodstuffs maker dipped as much as three per cent before recovering after chief financial officer […] Read more
Agri-Trade organizers cancel event for this year
Reading Time: < 1 minute In the end, holding Agri-Trade this year was just too steep a hill to climb. Organizers of the Red Deer equipment expo say even though they felt they could meet provincial guidelines for holding the Nov. 11-13 event they “felt had no choice but to cancel the show.” The deciding factor was policies restricting travel […] Read more
Ginseng piling up in Canada despite Chinese demand
Travel restrictions depress new-crop sales
Winnipeg/Hong Kong | Reuters — The pandemic’s crushing effect on international travel has grounded Canadian exports of ginseng, a root widely used in Asia to treat everything from the common cold to impotency, at a time when health is top of consumers’ minds. Canada is the world’s second-largest ginseng exporter after China, with most of […] Read more
Plant-based protein maker Roquette sees short-term COVID-19 impact
Demand could accelerate second Canadian plant
Paris | Reuters — The plant-based protein market has seen a slowdown in new product launches and lower sales in restaurants and cafeterias due to COVID-19 but benefited from more people cooking at home and trying new products, French manufacturer Roquette said. The market for plant-based protein such as meat-free burgers has surged in the […] Read more
CBOT weekly outlook: Harvest pressure to weigh on soy, corn
MarketsFarm — Seasonal harvest pressure may weigh on soybean and corn futures at the Chicago Board of Trade over the next month, but there is also still good support on the other side, according to an analyst. “The biggest trouble now for the market is the harvest pressure coming in,” said Tom Lilja of Progressive […] Read more
Throne speech commits to rural broadband improvement
Rural health care, water management also on deck
The federal minority Liberal government is promising job creation, better rural internet access and a commitment to combating climate change in its newly revealed legislative plans. In an ambitious throne speech delivered Wednesday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s party committed itself to implementing universal child care and extending or enhancing many of the economic measures put […] Read more
U.S. grains: Wheat, soy, corn fall sharply on fund selling
'It is basically risk-off across the board'
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Board of Trade soybean, corn and wheat futures plunged on Monday as concerns about fresh coronavirus-driven lockdowns due to rising global case counts sparked a wave of risk-off trades. The grains, led by a 3.7 per cent drop in wheat that marked its biggest daily percentage decline since August 2019, […] Read more
Pandemic has seen business — and challenges — soar for U-picks
Reading Time: 3 minutes U-pick operations across the country have seen a surge in business this year as people look for family-friendly, safe outings during the pandemic. But the season was not without its challenges. “The business has been busy,” said Leona Staples, who owns and operates The Jungle Farm near Red Deer with husband Blaine. Busy is good, […] Read more
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