Despite much of the world’s focus being on slumping stock markets and a global pandemic, there are several recent developments out of Ottawa related to agriculture: Canada Grain Act Canada’s Treasury Board has identified the Canada Grain Act as a piece of legislation in need of regulatory reform. This has been on the federal Liberal […] Read more
Cereals
Ottawa roundup: Carbon tax, Grain Act review, Horticultural Council AGM
Impacts on ag expected as COVID-19 rocks markets
Farmers urged to manage expenses
Stocks continuing to plunge during the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic have left agricultural producers in Canada concerned about the potential impact. Thursday marked the biggest drop in Canadian stocks in 80 years, highlighted by many economists warning the country is on the brink of recession. Beyond growing fears of COVID-19’s economic impact, oil and gas stocks […] Read more
Cervus to expand Saskatchewan reach
Deere chain announces Nipawin shop, Farm At Hand tie-in
Deere farm equipment dealer chain Cervus Equipment is set to expand its reach in northeastern Saskatchewan next month. Calgary-based Cervus — which operates 21 Deere dealerships in Alberta, Saskatchewan and British Columbia along with 42 other machinery dealerships in Canada, Australia and New Zealand — announced Thursday it plans to have a new dealership open […] Read more
Bayer reported inching toward glyphosate settlement
Reuters — Bayer has agreed on draft settlement terms with half a dozen law firms representing tens of thousands of plaintiffs alleging that its Roundup herbicide causes cancer, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter. Shares of the German drugs and pesticides company have come under immense pressure since […] Read more
Parliament hustles through CUSMA ratification
Implementing bill passes before Commons adjourns until April 20
Ottawa | Reuters — Canada’s Parliament rushed through ratification of the new Canada-U.S.-Mexico (CUSMA) trade pact on Friday before taking a three-week break to help stop the spread of the coronavirus, a top government official said. Canada was the last of the three signatories to formally adopt the pact, prompting congratulations from the United States […] Read more
Feed weekly outlook: Seasonal restrictions underpin grains
Coronavirus fallout being watched
MarketsFarm — Seasonal weight restrictions and spring road bans are providing some underlying support for feed grain bids in Western Canada, with the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak also being followed closely. “Winter weights are coming off, which is restricting the areas (feedlots) can pull from,” said Allen Pirness, of MarketPlace Commodities in Lethbridge, adding “there’s a […] Read more
U.S. grains: Wheat firm, corn flat as financial markets steady
CBOT soybean futures sag
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat futures closed fractionally higher on Friday and corn ended flat, stabilizing as wider financial markets regained some ground after plummeting on fears of the economic fallout from the global coronavirus outbreak. But soybean futures fell, hitting life-of-contract lows as crop weather in South America improved, bolstering expectations of large […] Read more
Seed Synergy plan moves forward
Partnership currently working on the details of the program
Work continues on the Seed Synergy plan to bring together several organizations in the Canadian seed sector. The merger between Canadian Seed Trade Association, Canadian Seed Growers Association, Canadian Seed Institute, Canadian Plant Technology Association and Commercial Seed Analyst Association of Canada began back in 2015 to simplify the seed industry system. Crop Life Canada […] Read more
Tighter regulations take effect for B.C. farmland reserve
Local governments' expanded role to take effect this fall
New regulations governing how — or if — changes can be made to land’s status within British Columbia’s Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR) are now in force, but local governments get more prep time for their expanded role. The province on Thursday announced amendments to the Agricultural Land Commission (ALC) Act — having received royal assent […] Read more
U.S. grains: Corn, soy drop to six-month lows
Wider markets sell-off continues
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn and soybean futures fell to six-month lows on Thursday as another rout on Wall Street underscored uncertainty about economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic as well as demand for agricultural commodities, analysts said. Wheat futures followed the weak trend. Chicago Board of Trade May corn settled down 8-3/4 cents […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
