Detroit | Reuters — Ford Motor Co. plans this spring to offer a diesel engine version of its best-selling F-150 pickup truck, looking to gain a marketing edge as its main rivals ramp up more efficient pickups of their own. Ford executives said they expect the F-150 diesel model with a 10-speed transmission to achieve […] Read more

Ford to launch diesel truck to grab fuel economy edge

Better trade deals coming for U.S. farmers, Trump says
In a 40-minute speech to the United States’ biggest farm organization, U.S. President Donald Trump spoke about free trade for 49 seconds. In 120 words Trump told the American Farm Bureau Federation’s annual meeting Monday in Nashville he was working to get U.S. farmers better trade deals. “To level the playing field for our great […] Read more

U.S. grains: Corn, soy, wheat ease ahead of USDA reports
Chicago | Reuters –– U.S. corn futures fell to a roughly three-week low on Monday while wheat declined to the lowest in one week as grain prices were pressured by position squaring ahead of government crop reports due on Friday. Analysts expect the U.S. Department of Agriculture to show abundant global grain and soy supplies […] Read more

Agrium, Potash Corp merger shouldn’t have much of an impact yet
CNS Canada – Farmers shouldn’t be too concerned yet that the recent Agrium, Potash Corp of Saskatchewan merger will cause an increase in the price of fertilizer, at least according to the president of one provincial producer group. “(The merger is) a hard one to find a whole bunch of negatives or positives about it. […] Read more

Monsanto profit misses estimates as farmers face squeeze
Reuters – Monsanto Co reported weaker-than-expected quarterly earnings on Thursday and said low crop prices hurting farmers’ incomes would limit the company’s ability to profit from sales of its genetically engineered seeds and agricultural chemicals. The outlook makes the world’s biggest seed company the latest agribusiness to detail ongoing pressures from large crop inventories that […] Read more

Fertilizer producer Nutrien to keep Saskatchewan base, says Wall
Winnipeg | Reuters – Nutrien Ltd, the fertilizer company formed this week by a merger of Potash Corp of Saskatchewan and Agrium, has committed to establishing its head office in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan and increasing corporate office jobs there, Saskatchewan premier Brad Wall said on Thursday. Wall said that in recent meetings, Nutrien’s […] Read more

Cargill profit falls as grain glut limits trading
Chicago | Reuters – Cargill Inc reported a 6 percent drop in quarterly profits on Wednesday as a global glut of grains limited trading opportunities for the food-commodities merchant. Four years of bumper grain and oilseeds harvests have squeezed profits for Cargill and main rivals Archer Daniels Midland Co, Bunge Ltd and Louis Dreyfus Corp […] Read more

Ontario proposal aims to double ethanol blend in fuel
Government move would boost corn market in the province
An Ontario government proposal could dramatically increase the amount of Ontario corn going into ethanol production and help bring consistency to the basis price for corn in the province. The government has posted its proposal to increase ethanol content in the province’s gasoline from five to 10 per cent to the Environmental Bill of Rights […] Read more

Equipment firm Buhler’s year-end ledger improves
Improved sales in the North American market have helped push the 2017 results for Canadian farm equipment maker Buhler Industries back into the black. The Winnipeg-based company, which makes Versatile tractors and Farm King implements, on Friday booked year-end net income of about $500,000 on gross revenue of $312 million, up from a $2.7 million […] Read more

Lakehead University to operate Thunder Bay ag station
The not-for-profit Thunder Bay Agricultural Research Station’s quest for a longer-term operating plan has ended with a new operator, and a new name. The Ontario government recently announced it will transfer the TBARS’s operating and research programming responsibilities to Thunder Bay-based Lakehead University, which will now operate the site as Lakehead University Agricultural Research Station […] Read more