Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat futures surged 4.5 per cent on Tuesday, their biggest gain since May, as cuts to the harvest outlook in Australia bolstered prospects for U.S. exports, traders said. The rally in wheat, which closed near session highs as technical buyers entered the market after the early strength, underpinned the corn […] Read more

U.S. grains: Wheat futures rally, pull corn higher
Chicago soybean futures weaken

Passenger trains to run again, pipeline protests block freight
Ottawa | Reuters — Passenger rail operator Via Rail said Tuesday it would soon resume partial services between Quebec City and Ottawa while the government sought to end anti-pipeline protests that are blocking rail freight in Eastern Canada. Via said passenger services between the two cities would start on Thursday after it received a notification […] Read more

EU-Canada trade deal clears hurdle in Dutch parliament
Amsterdam | Reuters — The European Union’s free trade agreement with Canada cleared a political hurdle on Tuesday, when a slim majority of lawmakers in the Dutch lower house voted to ratify the contested deal. Votes by members of the country’s governing coalition were enough to approve the deal, which was rejected by opposition parties […] Read more

Garneau re-adjusts train speed limits
New limits in place for 'key trains' with dangerous goods
Having cut speed limits for trains hauling dangerous goods following a fiery derailment earlier this month, federal Transport Minister Marc Garneau is adjusting those limits for a “more targeted” approach. Garneau announced Sunday he has pulled his Feb. 6 ministerial order on speed limits and replaced it with a new one affecting so-called “key trains” […] Read more

Xplornet buys Ontario’s Silo Wireless
Deal includes rural wireless, fibre services
Canada’s biggest rural broadband company has expanded its space in the southwestern Ontario market by buying internet and fibre-to-home provider Silo Wireless. New Brunswick-based Xplornet Communications, whose client list already includes over a million rural customers in all provinces, announced it has closed its deal to buy Silo for an undisclosed sum. The deal gives […] Read more

Average Prairie heat, more rain in summer forecast
MarketsFarm — Canada’s Prairies should see higher-than-normal precipitation and generally average temperatures during the 2020 growing season, according to a forecast from Scott Kehler of Weatherlogics. Speaking Thursday at CropConnect in Winnipeg, Kehler said “there’s not really a strong pattern one way or the other” when it comes to the temperature outlook. The Weatherlogics forecast […] Read more

Canada rules out sending police in on rail protests
Superior Propane expects supply shortages soon
Ottawa | Reuters — Canada’s Liberal government said on Friday it was deeply concerned about protests by aboriginal activists that are blocking some key railway lines but rejected a call to send in the police. Indigenous communities opposed to the construction of a gas pipeline project in British Columbia started interrupting rail traffic last week. […] Read more

U.S. grains: Corn, soy, wheat end lower ahead of long weekend
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn and soybean futures closed lower on Friday on technical selling ahead of a long holiday weekend and uncertainty about U.S. export prospects, traders said. Wheat futures followed the weak trend, drifting lower in rangebound trade. A stronger dollar hung over the markets, making U.S. grains and soy less competitive […] Read more

Industry leaders weigh in on seed royalty review
'Other markets... have already moved past this'
Syngenta’s Trevor Heck isn’t choosing a route for collecting seed royalty rates — but says the federal government needs to “move forward on some type of value capture” model. “Right now, you know, if we don’t have that within the seed industry, it’s going to be very difficult to be able to get the level […] Read more

Subsidy for grain dryer upgrades in Alberta draws critics
Concerns are being raised over a new program for grain drying being offered to Alberta residents. The federal and Alberta governments recently announced Alberta farmers seeking to make grain dryer improvements will have access to funding through the Canadian Agricultural Partnership. The Efficient Grain Dryer Program aims to cover costs for energy efficiency improvements to […] Read more