A federal Conservative government would postpone major amendments to animal health regulations dealing with livestock transport, otherwise due to come into effect in February next year. Andrew Scheer’s Conservatives on Friday released a platform promising a number of regulatory changes of interest to grain and livestock producers ahead of the federal election on Oct. 21. […] Read more
Federal Tories pledge to postpone new livestock transport rules
U.S. regulators allow GM cotton as human food source
Washington | Reuters — U.S. regulators on Friday gave the green light for genetically modified cotton to be used for human consumption, paving the way for a protein-packed new food source — edible cottonseed that tastes a bit like chickpeas — that its developers said could help tackle global malnutrition. The Food and Drug Administration’s […] Read more
U.S. farmers cheered by apparent trade truce
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. farmers cheered the Trump administration’s announcement of a potentially dramatic increase in U.S. agricultural sales to China on Friday but warned they needed to see a follow-through of actual purchases. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the agricultural purchases could scale up to $40 billion-$50 billion annually as part of a […] Read more
South America fires could disrupt its farm belt’s rainfall
Santa Cruz | Reuters — Forest fires that swept across Bolivia and Brazil this year could disrupt rainfall distribution across South America’s grains-and-beef producing regions in unpredictable ways for years to come, a scientist and meteorologist said. Recent rains in both countries have helped put out the wildfires, which were likely started by farmers and […] Read more
Iraq replaces state grain agency’s chief
Baghdad/Dubai | Reuters — Iraq, a major Middle East wheat and rice importer, has replaced the head of its state grain buying agency, government sources and a document showed on Tuesday. Naeem al-Maksousi was replaced by Hassanein Mahdi Elwan, a document reviewed by Reuters showed. The reason for the replacement, which comes after a week […] Read more
Louis Dreyfus expects tough year on trade war, swine fever
Paris | Reuters — Agricultural commodity giant Louis Dreyfus warned on Monday that international trade tensions and a swine disease epidemic would continue to weigh on its activities in the rest of the year after pushing down first-half profit. The interim results reversed a rebound in group profits in the second half of last year […] Read more
National small business contest gives boost to enterprising Alberta producer
Tool aggregates offers and shows real-time prices from multiple grain buyers
Reading Time: 2 minutes A fledgling Alberta ag enterprise has been named the most promising startup in a nationwide contest for small business owners. “I was so excited,” said Farmbucks founder Lynn Dargis, who took home the award for her grain-pricing app from TELUS Pitch in July. “It just solidifies that we’re onto something really good here. It’s given […] Read more
Crown pension fund bids for Australian ag firm Webster
Reuters — Australian agribusiness company Webster Ltd. said on Thursday it has signed a deal for a A$854 million (C$763.65 million) takeover by shareholder PSP Investments, one of Canada’s biggest pension funds. The walnut, cotton and livestock producer said the A$2 per share offer — a 57.5 per cent premium to Wednesday’s ordinary shares closing […] Read more
Short-sellers circle cannabis stocks as profits dwindle
New York | Reuters — Wall Street’s love of cannabis appears to be going up in smoke as vaping-related ailments and missed revenue projections are prompting short sellers to raise their bets against the industry, fund managers and analysts said on Wednesday. Short interest in cannabis stocks, which reflects bets that prices will fall, has […] Read more
Late Canadian mustard crop facing quality downgrades
MarketsFarm — An early blast of snow and cold across the Prairies has delayed harvest operations for a mustard crop already running behind normal, with quality downgrades expected for any mustard still in the field. “It has to be absolutely flattened,” said mustard buyer Walter Dyck of Olds Products at Lethbridge on the effect of […] Read more
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