London | Reuters — Rising use of nitrogen-based fertilizers is driving up global emissions of nitrous oxide, a lesser-known greenhouse gas, complicating efforts to limit climate change, scientists reported in a study on Wednesday. Most of the focus in curbing climate-warming gas emissions has focused on the most abundant, carbon dioxide, and one of the […] Read more
Fertilizer use fuelling climate-warming nitrous oxide emissions, study says
U.S. grains: Wheat, soy futures hit multi-year highs
Dry weather in U.S., Russia, Argentina supports wheat prices; soybeans, corn rise as Brazil also dry for planting
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat and soybean futures soared to multi-year highs on Wednesday as unfavourable weather threatened production in exporting countries. Dryness has raised concerns among traders about the prospects for wheat planting in the U.S. Plains and the Black Sea region and for soybean planting in Brazil. Weather in the southern U.S. […] Read more
U.S. grains: Dry weather pushes CBOT wheat, soy to multi-year peaks
Chicago corn also rallies
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat and soybean futures jumped to multi-year highs on Tuesday, supported by concerns about dry weather in key production areas, traders said. Corn futures hit their highest level in 8-1/2 months, joining in the rally as the U.S. harvest pace fell below expectations despite ideal weather for field work. But […] Read more
Study shows how U.S. farm landscapes could be reshaped by climate
Plains' wheat belt would see 'hollowing-out'
London | Thomson Reuters Foundation — Climate change could render swaths of agricultural land largely useless for farming in the U.S. South, and force Midwestern farmers to move corn and soybeans elsewhere as crop yields decline, researchers said on Monday. The profits of growing six key crops are set to fall by almost a third […] Read more
La Nina to bring colder, drier winter
MarketsFarm — There’s a La Nina poised to exert influence on the coming North American winter, according to Drew Lerner, senior agricultural meteorologist for World Weather Inc. in Kansas. A La Nina generates colder-than-normal temperatures, as opposed to the warm temperatures garnered from an El Nino. Both weather phenomenon can be found over the Pacific […] Read more
U.S. grains: Soybeans end down on harvest pressure
Chicago corn, wheat futures climb
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures fell on Monday on the outlook for favourable harvest weather in the heart of the Midwest, where producers are poised to sell soybeans and store their corn, analysts said. Traders were also squaring positions ahead of quarterly grain stocks reports due midweek from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. […] Read more
Throne speech commits to rural broadband improvement
Rural health care, water management also on deck
The federal minority Liberal government is promising job creation, better rural internet access and a commitment to combating climate change in its newly revealed legislative plans. In an ambitious throne speech delivered Wednesday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s party committed itself to implementing universal child care and extending or enhancing many of the economic measures put […] Read more
Charred U.S. west’s ‘wet ashtray’ wine grapes left to birds
Reuters — Heavy ground smoke clouded Hanson Vineyards in Oregon’s picturesque Willamette Valley for more than a week following a Labour Day windstorm that kicked up wildfires across the western United States. Jason Hanson expects his crews may only harvest five tons of grapes, including his Chardonnay and Gamay varieties, down from the 25 to […] Read more
More food companies aim to wrangle cattle emissions
Nestle, Barry Callebaut trying out feed additives
Winnipeg | Reuters — Looking to improve milk production, California farmer John Verwey turned to a Swiss-made feed additive designed to make a cow more efficient while reducing methane emissions from cattle burps. The more a cow belches, the more it spends energy that could be used instead for milk production, Verwey reasoned. So two […] Read more
Prairies can expect far better harvest weather this fall
MarketsFarm — Prairie farmers are likely going have good weather over the next few weeks, according to Scott Kehler of Weatherlogics. “We got a pretty significant warm-up across most of the Prairies through to the end of September. It should be fairly warm and not too much in the way of precipitation,” he said. “At […] Read more