Washington/Mexico City | Reuters — The United States and Mexico struck a deal on Friday to avert a tariff war, with Mexico agreeing to rapidly expand a controversial asylum program and deploy security forces to stem the flow of illegal Central American migrants. U.S. President Donald Trump had threatened to impose five per cent import […] Read more
Trump calls off tariffs after Mexico vows to tighten borders
Beyond Meat sees sales more than doubling in 2019
Reuters — Beyond Meat, a U.S. maker of plant-based burgers and sausages, said it expects to more than double its revenue and report breakeven EBITDA this year, sending the its shares up over 21 per cent. The company said it expects to record revenue of $210 million in 2019 (all figures US$), with break-even earnings, […] Read more
In the weeds: Canadian farmers can’t stay ahead of herbicide resistance
The problem is huge, rapidly getting worse, and non-chemical weed control is becoming a necessity
Reading Time: 4 minutes Farmers won’t be able to spray their way out of this — Canada is now third in the world when it comes to weeds able to survive pesticides that used to kill them. “We’re quickly being overrun by herbicide-resistant weeds,” said federal research scientist Charles Geddes. “There have been difficult herbicide-resistant weeds in the past, […] Read more
Canadian crop development behind average
MarketsFarm — Crop development is running behind average across much of Canada, with excessive moisture delaying seeding in Ontario and dryness slowing crop development across the Prairies. That’s according to the latest satellite data from the federal Crop Condition Assessment Program (CCAP), created in partnership between Statistics Canada and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. Crop development […] Read more
It’s tough to stand out in the world of commodities
Producing the best beef or grain doesn’t mean your product will be recognized for its quality
Reading Time: 3 minutes Having a point of differentiation is really important when it comes to commodities. Let us start with the term ‘beef.’ You may have been in conversations where someone said, they don’t eat beef — they eat old dairy cows. Which is interesting because technically, those old dairy cows and the Alberta bred fancy show steer […] Read more
Spice maker seeks path to make vanilla milkshakes cheaper
Chicago/Antananarivo, Madagascar | Reuters — A kilo of vanilla beans costs more than a kilo of silver. Cultivated painstakingly over years from an orchid plant, vanilla is the second most expensive spice in the world, after saffron. In less than five years, the wholesale price has risen nearly 500 per cent, partly because of growing […] Read more
Trump tariffs could cost an extra nickel per burrito, says Chipotle
Reuters — Chipotle Mexican Grill on Monday estimated a US$15 million hit from President Donald Trump’s proposed tariffs on Mexican imports, and said it could cover that by raising burrito prices by around five cents. The U.S.-based Mexican-themed chain’s finance chief Jack Hartung said its margins would be reduced by 20-30 basis points if the […] Read more
SIDE-SWIPED: The stars are not lining up for Alberta farmers
A series of unforeseeable events has suddenly set the stage for a return to the bad old days of the 1980s
Reading Time: 5 minutes A pig disease that’s been around for a century. A new ‘tech cold war’ between Beijing and Washington. A mercurial American president who calls himself “the tariff man.” These are the unlikely set of factors that are threatening to pummel grain markets — and the incomes of Alberta’s grain producers. “I am not looking at […] Read more
Cash advance boost to take effect next week
Regulations permanently expanding loan limits under the federal Advance Payments Program — and temporarily boosting interest-free advances for canola growers — are in place for applications to begin next Monday at the earliest. Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau said Monday amendments to the Agricultural Marketing Programs Regulations are now in place to boost the APP loan […] Read more
Federal ‘Product of Canada’ food guidelines under review
Food processors wanting to make “Product of Canada” or “Made in Canada” label claims for their wares might not have to be as strict on their use of Canadian ingredients, under proposed changes to labelling guidelines. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency on Monday announced public consultations and a public comment period, to run until June […] Read more
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