Latest Newsletter

Marie-Claude Bibeau (centre), shown here Feb. 11 announcing federal funding for a Smucker’s Foods dairy plant at Sherbrooke, Que., is Canada’s new agriculture minister. (MCBibeau.Liberal.ca)

Mini-shuffle includes new federal agriculture minister

By
Vancouver MP Jody Wilson-Raybould’s exit from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s cabinet has led to a mini-shuffle and a new federal minister for agriculture and agri-food. Marie-Claude Bibeau, MP for the Quebec riding of Compton-Stanstead since 2015, replaced Lawrence MacAulay as agriculture minister on Friday, becoming the first woman to handle the ag portfolio. MacAulay, the […] Read more
(Dave Bedard photo)
Crops

Viterra buys up all of North Dakota grain terminal

By
Viterra has bought up the other half of a U.S. joint-venture grain terminal the company helped build in its SaskPool days. The Regina-based grain handling arm of commodity firm Glencore announced Thursday it has closed a deal to buy U.S. food processor General Mills’ 50 per cent stake in the two companies’ grain terminal at […] Read more
CBOT May 2019 corn with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)
Crops, Markets

U.S. grains: Soybeans fall as trade concerns weigh

By
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean prices fell on Thursday despite stronger-than-expected export sales as investors worried that an eagerly awaited trade deal between Washington and Beijing remained elusive. Wheat and corn also fell as heavy deliveries against the March contracts weighed on the market. There were 820 deliveries against CBOT March soybeans, 400 deliveries […] Read more
A washout on Manitoba PR 346 south of Brandon in April 2017. (Manitoba Co-operator file photo by Alexis Stockford)

Manitoba to prepare for spring flooding

By
Some major waterways in agricultural Manitoba are expected to spill their banks this spring, according to the provincial infrastructure department’s first official flood outlook for the year. Assuming normal weather conditions for the season, southern Manitobans can expect levels on the Red River south of the floodway to peak near 2011 levels, the department said. […] Read more
(Dave Bedard photo)
Crops

Bayer reaps profit lift from Monsanto

By
Leverkusen, Germany | Reuters –– Bayer’s US$63 billion purchase of seed and chemical firm Monsanto made its mark on the German company’s fourth quarter earnings on Wednesday, lifting profit and boding well for the peak season of its enlarged agriculture business. However, mounting litigation risks related to Monsanto still cast a pall over an adjusted […] Read more
(Dave Bedard photo)
Crops

Brazil health officials find glyphosate non-cancerous

By
Brasilia | Reuters — Analysts at Brazilian health agency Anvisa have determined that glyphosate herbicide does not cause cancer while recommending exposure limits as international pressure to reduce use of the chemical grows. Companies such as Bayer and its unit Monsanto, which produces glyphosate-based weedkillers, have faced legal challenges over allegations that glyphosate causes cancer. […] Read more
(Thamyrissalgueiro/iStock/Getty Images)

Abrupt mid-March shift into spring predicted

By
Winter conditions are expected to remain the norm across the Canadian Prairies through the middle of March, when a sudden pattern change brings an abrupt start to spring, according to the latest seasonal forecast from The Weather Network. The quick move from cold to warm conditions raises the risk of flooding in areas with a […] Read more
The Red River in southern Winnipeg. (File photo by Dave Bedard)

U.S. agency sees high spring flood risk for Red River

By
As most of Western Canada continues to brace for frigid temperatures, some in southern Manitoba are already preparing for a messy spring. The U.S. National Weather Service on Thursday reported the Red River is in danger of significant flooding due to rapid snowmelt in March. Its report stated the risk for significant snowmelt flooding is […] Read more
CBOT May 2019 wheat with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages.
Crops, Markets

U.S. grains: Wheat sinks on plentiful global supply

By
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat futures slid for a second consecutive session on Tuesday to the lowest in 10 months as cheaper exports from producers including Russia weighed on demand for U.S. supplies. Soybeans also fell, giving up the last session’s gains, as a rapidly advancing harvest in top exporter Brazil boosted global supplies. […] Read more

Cyber-Savvy Farmer

Glacier Farmmedia Podcast