North America Archives | Alberta Farmer Express

JBS says it paid US$11 million in bitcoin for ransom

Cyberattack disrupted plants in North America, Australia

By Reuters, GFM Network News June 10, 2021

Reuters — Meatpacker JBS USA paid a ransom equivalent to US$11 million (C$13.3 million) following a cyberattack that disrupted its North American and Australian operations, the company’s CEO said in a statement Wednesday. The subsidiary of Brazilian firm JBS halted cattle slaughtering at all of its U.S. plants and its Alberta beef plant for a […] Read more

Beef Cattle, Livestock, Reuters

JBS Australian, North American servers hacked

By Reuters, GFM Network News June 1, 2021

Melbourne | Reuters –– Australian and North American units of the world’s largest meat works were hit over the weekend by an organized cyber attack on its information systems, Brazil’s JBS said in a statement. The attack caused its Australian operations to shut down on Monday. The company said it was working to resolve the […] Read more

News

Malt growers have many reasons to raise a glass this year

Quality is good, demand strong so far, and the harvest was night and day from a year ago

By Alexis Kienlen November 21, 2020

Quality is good, demand strong so far, and the harvest was night and day from a year ago

Reading Time: 3 minutes It’s a cliché — but most malt growers really do have a reason to raise a glass and toast what has turned out to be a good year. Last year’s wet harvest made for “a dismal year” but this season has been good for most growers in south and central Alberta, as well as Saskatchewan […] Read more

A container terminal at the Port of Vancouver. (FangXiaNuo/E+/Canada)

Crops, Machinery & Shop, Markets, Pulses

Logistics, lack of containers hamper pulse crop movement

By Phil Franz-Warkentin, GFM Network News April 17, 2020

MarketsFarm — Logistics disruptions due to COVID-19 are hampering nearby movement of pulses, according to a number of industry participants speaking Thursday on a webinar organized by the Global Pulse Consortium. However, the longer-term impact of the pandemic remains to be seen. “The shipping industry has been hugely impacted by COVID-19,” Chris Oliver, nautical director […] Read more

Crops, Reuters, Weather

Mosaic to cut fertilizer production as weather dampens demand

By Reuters December 19, 2019

Reuters — Mosaic Co. said Thursday it will reduce fertilizer production until market conditions improve, as a difficult harvest season in North America has led to reduced fertilizer usage. Agricultural companies’ profits have been hammered this year due to an unusually cold and wet weather that has delayed planting season in North America, and lower […] Read more

Hogs, Livestock, Markets

Strong foreign demand boosts North American hog markets

By Marlo Glass – MarketsFarm December 10, 2019

MarketsFarm — While the volume of hogs at North American slaughter markets have kept packing plants near capacity in recent weeks, strong foreign export demand has kept pork values high. “We expect pork values to move higher, due to the shortness of production in China,” said Brad Marceniuk, a Saskatchewan provincial livestock economist in Saskatoon. […] Read more

Chickpeas. (CalypsoArt/iStock/Getty Images)

Crops, Markets, Pulses

Lower prices, relative profitability tug at chickpea acres

By Marlo Glass – MarketsFarm April 5, 2019

MarketsFarm — Since chickpea prices fell rapidly during last year’s harvest, the jury is out as to what the chickpea market holds this year. “Acres are going to be down this year because the price isn’t what it was a year ago,” said Melody Ector, president of Diefenbaker Spice and Pulse at Elbow, Sask. Prices […] Read more

A file photo of hog barns in winter. (SimplyCreativePhotography/iStock/Getty Images)

Hogs, Livestock, Markets

Swine fever in China poses risks, rewards for Canadian pork

By Phil Franz-Warkentin - MarketsFarm March 20, 2019

MarketsFarm — Sharp losses in China’s hog herd due to African swine fever (ASF) are underpinning the North American pork market and could create export opportunities for Canada — if this country manages to stay disease-free. ASF does not affect humans, but the highly viral disease is nearly 100 per cent fatal for hogs with […] Read more

Crops, Machinery & Shop, Markets

Diesel prices soften, but watching U.S. infrastructure plan

By Dave Sims March 21, 2017

CNS Canada — Sinking prices for crude oil and a softer Canadian dollar have kept diesel prices relatively low for Canadian farmers in 2017, and they could be heading lower, as long as U.S. President Donald Trump’s infrastructure plan doesn’t get in the way. “I would probably say in Canada you’re going to see numbers […] Read more

Average sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies for the week centred on June 1. Anomalies based on weekly means for 1981-2010 base period. (CPC.ncep.noaa.gov)

Crops, Weather

La Nina effect in U.S. may not spill onto Prairies

By Dave Sims June 9, 2016

CNS Canada — As the El Nino weather event of 2015-16 gradually fades into memory, most weather forecasters say it’s slowly being replaced by its cousin, La Nina. The La Nina phenomenon usually happens when water temperatures along the equator in the Pacific Ocean fall by 3 to 5 C. According to Drew Lerner of […] Read more

U.S. grains: Corn, soy futures sag on end-of-month selling

Dominican Republic restricts pig shipments after ASF confirmed

CNH Industrial bets on strong market to counter worst supply chain situation

GFM Network News