Chicago | Reuters –– Commercial barge traffic on southern stretches of the Mississippi River was at a standstill on Tuesday as low water levels halted shipments of grain, fertilizer and other commodities on the critical waterway, shipping sources said. The supply chain snarl comes just as harvesting of corn and soybeans, the largest U.S. cash […] Read more
U.S. barge backlog swells on parched Mississippi River
U.S. says no weekly agriculture export sales data until Sept. 15
Reuters — The U.S. Agriculture Department (USDA) on Wednesday said it would not publish weekly export sales data for crops such as corn, soybeans or wheat until Sept. 15 at the earliest, leaving grain traders in the dark about overseas demand. USDA is struggling to launch a new reporting system for the data, which has […] Read more
Ukraine restores Moldova rail link
Rail line could carry 10 million tonnes of freight per year
Reuters — Ukraine has restored a rail link to neighbouring Moldova after a 23-year hiatus and the connection could carry 10 million tonnes of freight a year, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in a video address on Monday. Although he did not specify what kinds of goods, Ukraine is keen to find new ways to export […] Read more
U.N. chief seeks ‘spirit of compromise’ over Ukraine grain initiative
Deal sees 21 outbound ships so far
Lviv | Reuters — U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged Russia and Ukraine on Thursday to show a “spirit of compromise” to ensure the continued success of a U.N. brokered deal that enabled Ukraine to resume grain exports from its Black Sea ports. Guterres said after talks in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv that 21 […] Read more
Russia, Ukraine agree to protect Ukraine grain shipping channel
London/New York | Reuters — Ships exporting Ukraine grain through the Black Sea will be protected by a 10-nautical mile buffer zone, according to long-awaited procedures agreed by Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and the United Nations on Monday and seen by Reuters. The United Nations and Turkey brokered a deal last month after Russia’s Feb. 24 […] Read more
Ukraine grain export coordination centre opens in Istanbul
Istanbul | Reuters – Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar on Wednesday unveiled a centre in Istanbul to oversee the export of Ukrainian grains after a landmark U.N. deal last week, with the first shipment expected to depart from Black Sea ports within days. Russia and Ukraine signed the deal, brokered by Ankara and the United […] Read more
Turkey says Ukraine grain ships could avoid mines
Russia offers safe passage
Ankara/United Nations | Reuters — Russia on Wednesday said it has offered “safe passage” for Ukraine grain shipments from Black Sea ports but is not responsible for establishing the corridors and Turkey suggested that ships could be guided around sea mines. Ukrainian grain shipments have stalled since Russia’s invasion and ports blockade, stoking global prices […] Read more
Russian attack destroys warehouses of major Ukrainian port terminal, owner says
Kyiv | Reuters — Russian shelling destroyed the warehouses of one of Ukraine’s largest agricultural commodities terminals in the Black Sea port of Mykolaiv over the weekend, authorities and the facility’s owner said Tuesday. The attack came at a time Turkey is trying to develop a U.N.-backed plan to start grain exports from Ukraine’s ports, […] Read more
Viterra to buy Marubeni’s U.S. grain firm Gavilon
Grain handler looking to expand reach in Americas through acquisitions
Grain firm Viterra’s plans to buy an expanded global reach are about to move forward with a 10-figure deal for the bulk of U.S. ag commodity firm Gavilon’s grain business. Viterra, owned by commodities firm Glencore and two Canadian public-sector pension funds, announced Wednesday it will pay $1.125 billion to buy Omaha-based Gavilon from the […] Read more
A tale of two trade agreements
The TPP deal soars, the EU deal stalls
Asian and Pacific nations are snapping up our beef while EU roadblocks persist
Reading Time: 5 minutes When it comes to Canada’s two big foreign trade deals, the difference for beef producers is night and day — one is putting money in their pockets and the other has mostly been an exercise in frustration. In just the first two years of the three-year-old Trans-Pacific trade deal, member nations upped their buys of […] Read moreCyber-Savvy Farmer
