Ottawa | Reuters — Canada’s five major grocery chains have agreed to help the government in its bid to stabilize soaring prices, a senior minister said on Monday, following talks to address an issue that is hurting the ruling Liberals. Innovation Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne made the announcement after two hours of what he said were […] Read more

Major grocery chains agree to help stabilize prices, feds say
Any moves must not undercut farmgate prices, government warns

India’s controversial farm bills become law despite protests
New Delhi | Reuters — India’s president on Sunday approved three controversial agricultural bills amid nationwide protests by farmers who say the new laws will stunt their bargaining power and instead allow large retailers to have control over pricing. Farmers’ organizations say one of the three laws could lead to the government stopping buying grain […] Read more

Green Plains sues ADM, alleging ethanol market manipulation
Chicago | Reuters — Green Plains Inc., one of the biggest U.S. ethanol producers, sued Archer Daniels Midland on Tuesday, accusing the global grain trader of manipulating the price of the biofuel to profit from its positions in the derivatives market. Green Plains filed the proposed class action with the U.S. District Court of Nebraska, […] Read more

Viterra offers up 24/7 online grain contracting
Prairie grain growers doing business with Glencore Agriculture’s Viterra arm can now create their own grain contracts with the company anytime online. In what it describes as the “first and only full range” of online contracting options for farmers in Western Canada, Viterra launched its new system on its myViterra platform in December. A Prairie […] Read more

Trump vows to back U.S. dairy farmers in Canada trade spat
Reuters — U.S. President Donald Trump promised on Tuesday to defend U.S. dairy farmers who have been hurt by Canada’s protectionist trade practices, during a visit to the cheese-making state of Wisconsin. Canada’s dairy sector is protected by high tariffs on imported products and controls on domestic production as a means of supporting prices that […] Read more

Ontario processing tomato contracts set
An agreement has been reached between growers and processors of Ontario tomatoes for the 2017 growing season, maintaining the 2016 pricing agreement and 2016 contract tonnage. Final prices, however, weren’t released Friday, as they historically have been on the website of the Ontario Processing Vegetable Growers (OPVG). According to the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Processing […] Read more

Tyson reveals subpoena linked to alleged price fixing
Reuters — Tyson Foods disclosed on Monday it has received a subpoena from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission following allegations it conspired with rivals for years to fix chicken prices. The chicken sector, which is dominated by a handful of large meat companies, has come under increased scrutiny over the past year as customers […] Read more

New Zealand dairy industry worries over Canada pricing plan
Wellington/Winnipeg | Reuters — New Zealand is closely watching changes in how Canada prices dairy products, New Zealand’s trade ministry said on Friday, as industry groups in several countries complain of unfair Canadian competition. Canada’s dairy farmers and processors, which include Saputo and Parmalat Canada, struck a pricing agreement in July that industry groups in […] Read more

Just how much is that roast beef worth?
Reading Time: < 1 minute Alberta Agriculture and Forestry has a new fact sheet on pricing meat products. “When you sell direct to market, there is a lot more involved than production,” said new-venture specialist Kathy Bosse. You also have to manage processing, packaging and delivery and think about consumer demand. “The new Pricing Meat Products: An Introduction fact sheet covers […] Read more