Canada’s Big Two railways both booked reduced traffic but increased their revenue per carload in their grain handling segments for their third fiscal quarters ending Sept. 30. Canadian National Railway on Tuesday reported third-quarter net income of $1.195 billion on $3.83 billion in total revenues, up from $1.134 billion on $3.688 billion in the year-earlier […] Read more
Third-quarter grain handle down for CN, CP
Manitoba agriculture merged into new provincial ministry
Manitoba’s provincial agriculture ministry is being merged with its resource development arm under the oversight of the minister responsible for the latter. Premier Brian Pallister on Wednesday announced a reorganization of his government’s ministries along with a shuffle of his cabinet in the wake of his Progressive Conservative government’s re-election last month. The realignment sees […] Read more
U.S. grains: Harvest pace drags on corn, soybeans
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures ended flat on Wednesday as optimism that China would significantly increase U.S. export purchases after offering to waive tariffs was overshadowed by a lack of confirmed buying and an accelerating U.S. harvest. Corn was also flat on harvest pressure and limited demand, while wheat firmed in a modest […] Read more
Industry reacts to divided vote, minority government
Ottawa — A regionally divided federal election resulting in a minority Liberal government leaves a clear challenge for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his caucus colleagues on how to handle the future of agriculture. Trudeau said clearly in his victory speech Monday night that Alberta and Saskatchewan are part of the country and will be […] Read more
U.S. grains: Soybeans firm on Chinese trade prospects
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures firmed on Tuesday on hopes of fresh export sales to China after Beijing gave major crushers waivers to import U.S. soybeans without retaliatory tariffs. Futures, however, drifted from early highs as new export deals failed to materialize and as farmers took advantage of the price spike to sell […] Read more
Expanded focus gives agricultural research clusters more diversity
Automation, grape and wine, and small acreage field crops among new research funding
Five new research areas were added to the national research cluster program when it was launched last year by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. Automation, grape and wine, diverse field crops, integrated crop agronomy and biomass were added to the existing cluster program. The cluster program started in 2008 under Growing Forward and was expanded under […] Read more
Manitoba beef sector faces tight feed situation
MarketsFarm — An early snowstorm may have been the last straw for Manitoba livestock producers looking to put up feed ahead of winter. While the foot or more of heavy snow that blanketed much of the province over the Thanksgiving weekend has melted, saturated fields continue to limit corn silage harvests and hay cutting. “Feed […] Read more
U.S. grains: Wheat eases in profit-taking setback
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat futures declined on Monday on profit taking after three sessions of gains, on concerns about weather-reduced Southern Hemisphere crops that had lifted the market to multi-month highs. Soybeans were mixed amid worries about reduced yields and late harvesting, while corn drifted lower on dull demand. Both markets remained in […] Read more
U.S. crop fundamentals change as harvest arrives
A reduction in supply as of early September has improved crop prices
Above normal temperatures over the past month have accelerated development for corn and soybeans. We estimate that 60 per cent of the Ontario soybean crop was dropping leaves and 30 per cent of the corn was mature as of Oct. 7. The seven- to 10-day forecast looks favourable, which should allow the corn and soybean […] Read more
Cash wheat bids: Red spring gains, durum eases
MarketsFarm — Wheat bids in Western Canada were mostly higher for the week ended Thursday. Strong gains were seen in Canada Western Red Spring (CWRS) and Canada Prairie Spring Red (CPRS) wheats, while Canada Western Amber Durum (CWAD) was steady to lower. The Canadian dollar gained almost nine-10ths of a cent during the week, closing […] Read more
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