CNS Canada — Plans are afoot to take publicly-traded Saskatchewan pulse and specialty crop processing firm AGT Food and Ingredients private. AGT, in a release Thursday, said it has received a non-binding proposal from a senior management group, led by company CEO Murad Al-Katib, to acquire all its issued and outstanding common shares. The proposal […] Read more
AGT managers seek to take company private
U.S. spring wheat, durum expected to surge
CNS Canada — Data released today from the U.S. National Agricultural Statistics Service showed large expected increases in spring wheat and durum production this year. Spring wheat production in the country, not including durum, is forecast at 614 million bushels, up 48 per cent from 2017. Of that, 584 million bushels, or 95 per cent […] Read more
Morocco gives millers incentives to use domestic wheat
Rabat | Reuters — Morocco on Friday announced a set of incentives for local millers to opt for domestic wheat instead of imports. They include a flat rate subsidy of 10 dirhams (C$1.37) per 100 kilograms of soft wheat to millers using local wheat, the ministry of agriculture said in a statement. The benefits also […] Read more
Canola stocks comfortable, eyes on new crop
CNS Canada — Canadian canola stocks are rather large heading into the new growing season, but attention now is firmly on new-crop production. Statistics Canada on Friday pegged canola supplies in the country as of March 31 at 9.1 million tonnes, the second-largest on record for that time of year and about 1.1 million tonnes […] Read more
Italian durum exports hit by labelling rule
Exports to our best long-term customer have plunged because of a new labelling rule and safety accusations
Reading Time: 4 minutes Canada needs to fight back to hold on to one of its biggest durum markets, says a top official with the association representing Italian pasta makers. “We know that Canadian durum wheat is excellent for pasta production, but unfortunately some Italian farm organizations have made a very tough campaign against it over the past years,” […] Read more
For pasta makers, Canadian durum is eccellente
Texture and colour are key to top-quality pasta and Canadian Western Amber durum provides both
Reading Time: < 1 minute Most Italian pasta makers don’t need convincing about the quality of Canadian durum. While some companies have developed lines of pasta using only durum grown in Italy, they tend to be specialty products, partly because pasta makers aren’t able to source large volumes from Italy with the durum quality they need, said Luigi Cristiano Laurenza, […] Read more
Fields with wireworms needed for 2018 research
The beetle larvae can live in the soil for up to five years, and there are no insecticides available to control
Reading Time: 2 minutes Wireworms are a big problem in Alberta fields, and an entomologist is seeking help from farmers to find ways to control them. “We have a lot to learn about wireworms,” said Haley Catton who works at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Lethbridge research station. “We need to do a lot more research to figure out how […] Read more
Prairie wheat bids mixed while U.S. futures rise
CNS Canada — Wheat bids in Western Canada were mixed for the week ended Thursday, while U.S. wheat futures rose. Depending on the location, average Canada Western Red Spring (CWRS, 13.5 per cent protein) wheat prices were mixed in Western Canada with some unchanged and others rising by $1-$2, according to price quotes from a […] Read more
Steady to lower durum market expected
CNS Canada — Larger-than-expected production, a seasonal slowdown in demand and looming Italian country-of-origin-labeling regulations all loom over the Canadian durum market, with steady to lower prices anticipated over the next few months. Italian COOL regulations are set to come into effect in mid-February and require pasta makers in the country to segregate foreign durum, […] Read more
Canada to probe claims of Turkish pasta dumping
Three Canadian makers of dry wheat pasta have got their wish for a probe into whether competing products from Turkey are being dumped into the Canadian market. The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) announced Tuesday it has launched an investigation into whether certain pasta products originating in or exported from Turkey are being sold at […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
