Reuters — Canada’s federal government on Monday vowed to bring in a minimum price on carbon emissions by 2018, prompting one energy-producing province to threaten legal action and another to demand approval of an oil pipeline in return. Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who took power last November promising to do more to protect the […] Read more
Canada unveils carbon price, energy-producing provinces unhappy
China slaps anti-dumping duties on U.S. DDGS
Chicago/Beijing | Reuters — China on Friday slapped anti-dumping duties on a U.S. animal feed ingredient known as distillers’ dried grains (DDGS) amid an intensifying spat between the world’s two largest economies over agricultural trade which totaled over US$20 billion last year. Beijing’s preliminary decision calls for duties of 33.8 per cent, effective immediately, the […] Read more
Clinton campaign studying alternative to U.S. ethanol mandate
Washington/San Francisco | Reuters — Democratic U.S. presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s campaign has solicited advice from California regulators on how to revamp a federal regulation requiring biofuels such as corn-based ethanol be blended into the nation’s gasoline supply, according to campaign and state officials. The move is the clearest sign yet that, if elected, Clinton […] Read more
ADM eyes ethanol asset sales as weak margins hit Q2
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. grain trader Archer Daniels Midland is pulling back in ethanol and exploring sales of its corn dry mills that produce the biofuel, the company said Thursday after reporting a lower second-quarter profit due partly to weak ethanol results. Chicago-based ADM, one of the world’s top ethanol makers, has made presentations […] Read more
Report finds ethanol, bioenergy no threat to food security
New York | Reuters — Bioenergy produced from crops does not threaten food supplies, researchers funded by the U.S. government, World Bank and others said in a report Tuesday, dealing a potential blow to critics of the country’s biofuels program. There is no clear relationship between biofuels and higher prices that threaten access to food, […] Read more
U.S. holding company offers to buy grain handler Andersons
Reuters — HC2 Holdings Inc., a company run by former hedge fund manager Philip Falcone, said on Tuesday it has made a bid to buy U.S. grain handler Andersons Inc for about US$1 billion in cash. Andersons is not looking to be acquired, the company’s new CEO told Reuters a day earlier. “As a public […] 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
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
Views mixed on impact of crude’s slip for ag markets
CNS Canada — While just about everyone agrees the plunging price of oil will have a bearish effect on commodity prices, the size and impact of that fall seems to vary. As recently as Nov. 4, crude oil prices were $48.64 a barrel, but since then have fallen to US$37.86, as of Wednesday’s opening. Some […] Read more
Manitoba corn locked in sideways trading mode
CNS Canada –– Manitoba corn appears locked into a sideways trading range for the foreseeable future, according to one industry watcher. From where the president of the Manitoba Corn Growers Association sits, it’s not surprising, given commodities’ bearish nature these days. “It’s not super-rosy; the (weak Canadian) dollar helps a bit, but we would like […] Read more
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