One of the world’s biggest grain companies is getting in on a processing facility under construction in Winnipeg to extract plant-based proteins from canola and peas. Winnipeg-based Merit Functional Foods announced Thursday it has received a $30 million “capital investment” from Bunge, giving the U.S. grain firm a “minority interest” worth 25 per cent. Burcon […] Read more
Bunge buys into canola, pea protein maker Merit
Agribusiness giant takes quarter stake in processor
Louis Dreyfus adds venture capital unit
New unit's potential budget not yet discussed publicly
Paris | Reuters — Agricultural commodities trader Louis Dreyfus Co. has launched a venture capital program to invest in food and farming firms while also announcing a change of head for its innovation business. “Over the coming months, we will invest in early-stage companies with the potential to transform the food and agriculture industries,” CEO […] Read more
Ag sector growth will take investments in skills, tech now: RBC
One of Canada’s big six banks bets the agriculture sector’s gross domestic product could rise by nearly 60 per cent over the next decade if it were to have enough people, capital and access to new technology where ag lives. A report released by RBC on Tuesday titled “Farmer 4.0” estimates Canadian ag GDP could […] Read more
On the front lines: Trade war sinks North Dakota soy growers
Colfax, N.D. | Reuters — North Dakota bet bigger on Chinese soybean demand than any other U.S. state. The industry here — on the far northwestern edge of the U.S. farm belt, close to Pacific ports — spent millions on grain storage and rail-loading infrastructure while boosting plantings by five-fold in 20 years. Now, as […] Read more
U.S. grains: Soybeans lower on trade row
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures fell about two per cent on Monday on generally favourable Midwest crop weather and worries about trade with China, the world’s biggest soy importer, traders said. Corn and wheat futures also declined. July soybean futures on the Chicago Board of Trade settled down 20 cents at $8.74-1/2 per […] Read more
New investment leads to new chief at Morris
A major cash infusion from a pair of Calgary private investment firms, among others, has put new hands at the helm of farm equipment maker Morris Industries. Morris on Tuesday announced its president, Ben Voss — a Saskatoon engineer and farmer, and one of the players in the new investment group — has also been […] Read more
Trio of groups proposes Alberta-based agrifood ‘supercluster’
Agrium, Olds College and global satellite communications corporation MDA have submitted an application to the federal government to form an agrifood “supercluster.” The Liberal government committed up to $950 million (over five years) in its March budget to create hubs that would focus on key economic sectors in an effort to kickstart investment, boost exports […] Read more
Between the Rows: Tech, teaching and tonnage
It’s no secret that technology companies have placing agriculture-related bets in recent years, but their total investment in startups is down from its 2015 peak. Has Silicon Valley cooled on agriculture or will it keep pushing at what some describe as tech’s “last frontier?” On this week’s episode of Glacier FarmMedia’s new podcast Between the […] Read more
Canada needs to invest to keep forage sector vigorous
Reading Time: 3 minutes Irricana rancher Doug Wray is the president of the Canadian Forage and Grassland Association. In mid-May, he spoke to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food. He began by noting Canada’s 13 million cultivated hectares of forages (the country’s largest cultivated crop) and 15 million hectares of native pastures and rangeland generate […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
