Mosquito control would be one of the few uses still allowed for chlorpyrifos under a proposal from Health Canada’s PMRA. (Tskstock/iStock/Getty Images)

Corteva to stop making Lorsban

Chicago | Reuters — Corteva will stop producing the agricultural pesticide chlorpyrifos by the end of the year, the company said on Thursday, removing the world’s largest manufacturer of a chemical that has been linked to low birth weight, reduced IQ and attention disorders in children. Corteva, spun off last year after a merger of […] Read more

Charles Baron and partners brought FBN to Canada in 2018 when it bought Saskatchewan-based Yorkton Distributors. (FBN video screengrab via YouTube)

Competition Bureau probing big ag chem companies

Probe to look at firms' response to FBN's arrival in Canada

Reuters — The Canadian Competition Bureau said on Thursday it was investigating certain agriculture companies for alleged anticompetitive practices over allegations of trying to block an online farm-supply startup from doing business in Western Canada. The regulator did not provide details on specific companies involved in the probe, but documents filed on Jan. 30 in […] Read more


CBOT March 2020 wheat with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Soybeans rise for third session

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures rose modestly on Wednesday as strength from global equity markets and soyoil futures offset worries about export demand for U.S. oilseeds, traders said. Wheat futures firmed on technical buying. But corn drifted lower in rangebound trade as uncertainty about demand hung over the market. Chicago Board of Trade […] Read more

CBOT March 2020 soybeans with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Soybeans, corn end higher

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. grain and soybean futures firmed on Tuesday, supported by a broad rebound in equity markets following losses sparked by a coronavirus outbreak in China, analysts said. Worries about harvest delays in Brazil’s soybean areas added support. Chicago Board of Trade March soybeans settled up 2-1/2 cents at $8.79-1/2 per bushel, […] Read more


(PortOfHalifax.ca)

Virus fears weigh on global shipping sector

MarketsFarm — Global shipping rates continue to decline, hitting record lows in some cases, amid declining demand and concerns over the coronavirus outbreak in China. The Baltic Dry Index (BDI), compiled by the London-based Baltic Exchange, provides an assessment of the price of moving major raw materials by sea. The BDI has fallen for 13 […] Read more

File photo of a pumpjack in an Alberta field. (ImagineGolf/E+/Getty Images)

Alberta farmers warned against oil well tampering

Advocate warns off 'reckless advice'

Alberta’s Farmers’ Advocate Office (FAO) is warning any farmers and ranchers in dispute with resource companies over compensation for well sites not to go in and tamper with the taps. The FAO last week issued a statement reminding the public that “interfering with any oil and gas infrastructure or that of an electrical distribution utility […] Read more

(FITTrials.com)

P+H to challenge regulators’ request for elevator sale

Case to be heard sometime at later end of fall

Grain firm Parrish and Heimbecker aims to keep its now-expanded Prairie elevator network intact against a proposed order from federal antitrust regulators. Winnipeg-based, privately-held P+H in September announced a deal to buy all 10 of the primary Prairie grain elevators built by agrifood giant Louis Dreyfus Co. between 1998 and 2003. The two companies have […] Read more


CBOT March 2020 corn with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Corn hits two-week low on virus worries

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn futures fell to a two-week low on Monday as traders worried that the fallout from the coronavirus epidemic could include an economic hit to China, traders said. But soybean and wheat futures ended modestly higher, rebounding from multimonth lows on light bargain buying, strength in soyoil and supportive soybean […] Read more

Profitable crop marketing takes planning and discipline.

10 good habits for marketing crops

There are profitable choices that can be made when selling crops

Producers looking to successfully market their grain should concentrate on what they can control and be prepared to sell at any time, according to Donna Archer of Maizeing Acres Incorporated. Archer and her husband, Pete, have a 1,500 cash crop farm and own three grain elevators in eastern Ontario. She presented 10 tips for grain […] Read more