Brownville, Neb. | Reuters — Severe flooding caused by rainfall and melting snow devastated farms and towns in Nebraska and Iowa on Tuesday, leaving at least four people dead and causing hundreds of millions of dollars in damage, with waters yet to crest in parts of the region for several days. The floods inundated stretches […] Read more
U.S. Midwest’s catastrophic floods cause widespread damage
U.S. grains: Corn, wheat drift lower on weak export demand
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn and wheat futures closed nearly unchanged on Tuesday, with commodity funds reluctant to add to a heavy net short position despite pressure from slowing export demand for U.S. grains, analysts said. Soybean futures declined as traders awaited news from ongoing U.S. trade negotiations with China, the world’s top soybean […] Read more
Second U.S. jury finds Bayer’s Roundup caused cancer
Reuters — A U.S. jury on Tuesday found Bayer’s glyphosate-based Roundup herbicide caused cancer, a blow to the company eight months after another jury issued a US$289 million verdict over similar claims in a different case. Tuesday’s unanimous jury decision in San Francisco federal court, which came after five days of deliberation, was not a […] Read more
Crop diversity declining worldwide
Science Notes: The number of different crops is increasing in North America but other regions are moving more toward monocultures
University of Toronto – A new University of Toronto study suggests that globally more of the same kinds of crops are being grown, and this presents major challenges for agricultural sustainability on a global scale. The study, by an international team of researchers led by University of Toronto assistant professor Adam Martin, used data from […] Read more
U.S. grains: Corn down on disappointing export data
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn futures fell on Monday, halting a four-session rebound from contract lows set last week, as traders worried about export prospects for U.S. grains, analysts said. Soybeans and wheat futures also declined. Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) May corn settled down 1-3/4 cents at $3.71-1/2 per bushel (all figures US$). […] Read more
U.S. farm belt slammed by floods, heavy snow from bomb cyclone
Reuters — A harsh late-winter storm broadsided a vast swath of the U.S. agriculture industry this week as heavy snow closed roads and buried cattle in the Plains while excessive rain flooded Midwest fields and swamped grain elevators. A “bomb cyclone” hurled hurricane-force winds, sparked tornadoes and dumped heavy snow and rain across the Plains […] Read more
Manitoba farmers unfazed by flood reports
MarketsFarm — As experts forecast a spring flood to hit southern Manitoba, farmers in the Red River Valley won’t be caught off guard. Manitoba’s Emergency Measures Organization held flood preparedness seminars in Morris, Brandon, and Selkirk throughout the week of March 11. Topics covered included the forecast, flood outlook, preparedness and response and disaster financial […] Read more
U.S. grains: Corn, soy, wheat close strong
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat futures rose 1.7 per cent on Friday as traders unwound bearish bets they placed on the grain when the market spiraled to a 14-month low earlier this week. The most-active Chicago Board of Trade soft red winter wheat contract hit its highest since March 6 as investment funds were […] Read more
Buhler to build bigger Kubota tractors in Winnipeg
Kubota’s highest-horsepower tractors yet for the North American farm market are going to be made in Canada. Winnipeg manufacturer Buhler Industries, the maker of Versatile tractors, on Thursday announced a “long-term” original equipment manufacturer (OEM) deal with Japan’s Kubota Corp. to “develop and produce a new tractor platform in the mid-range front-wheel assist segment.” For […] Read more
U.S. grains: CBOT wheat rallies on short-covering
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Board of Trade wheat futures rallied on Thursday for the second time in three days, hitting their highest in more than a week as investors scrambled to unwind short positions, traders said. The short squeeze came as the winter wheat crop in the U.S. has been breaking dormancy. “I think […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
