Ontario’s Liberals will have their agriculture standard-bearer back for the 2018 election. Jeff Leal, Ontario’s minister of agriculture, food and rural affairs, is staying in politics, running for his fifth term as a member of the provincial legislature in the Peterborough riding. Leal, who as a resident of Peterborough is about as rural as any […] Read more
Sector growth to occupy Ontario ag minister in 2018
U.S. grains: Soybeans end 2017 down four per cent
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago soybean futures firmed on Friday as rising crude oil futures helped lift soyoil, but soybeans still recorded a yearly loss of about four per cent, reflecting big 2017 harvests in South America and the U.S. Wheat drifted lower on Friday but posted its first yearly gain since 2012, while corn […] Read more
U.S. grains: Soybeans fall to four-month low
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago soybean futures fell more than one per cent and neared a four-month low Thursday on improving crop prospects in Brazil that could curb demand for U.S. soy exports, traders said. Corn and wheat futures also declined in thin trade between the Christmas and New Year’s Day holidays. Chicago Board of […] Read more
U.S. grains: Wheat up more than one per cent
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat futures climbed more than one per cent on Wednesday while corn was higher for the sixth straight session as technical buying and end-of-year positioning buoyed grain prices, traders and analysts said. Soybean futures turned lower on the Chicago Board of Trade after an earlier 1-1/2-week high on profit-taking and […] Read more
PotashCorp, Agrium get last blessing for Jan. 1 wedding
Two major Canadian players in the global fertilizer industry now have what they say is the final blessing they need to close their merger deal Jan. 1, on two already-met conditions. Saskatoon-based Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan and Calgary-based Agrium Inc. announced Wednesday they’ve received clearance from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to close their […] Read more
U.S. grains: Soybeans up on short-covering, Argentina’s weather
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures rose about one per cent on Tuesday, notching their second straight session of gains, as investors bought back short positions amid extended forecasts for warm and dry weather in Argentina, traders said. Corn futures were narrowly higher and wheat slightly lower at the Chicago Board of Trade as […] Read more
Outside panel named for farm risk management review
A panel of 11 “external” experts from across the country has been picked to offer guidance and feedback on a federal/provincial review of farm business risk management (BRM) programming. The panel’s appointment follows an agreement by federal, provincial and territorial agriculture ministers back in July to launch a review of BRM programs, assessing those programs’ […] Read more
Two neonics set for three-year extensions on registration
Health Canada’s pesticide regulator proposes to allow continued registration for two members of the neonicotinoid family of pesticides, both of which are under heavy scrutiny for their effects on bees and other pollinators. The Pest Management Regulatory Agency on Tuesday issued proposed decisions on clothianidin and thiamethoxam that would extend the products’ existing conditional registrations […] Read more
U.S. grains: Corn, soy up on short-covering
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures edged higher on Friday for the first time in seven sessions in a short-covering bounce, but remained near three-month lows as forecast rain in Argentina eased concern about a potential supply risk. Corn was slightly higher on short-covering ahead of the Christmas holiday weekend, while wheat slipped as […] Read more
CN, CP roll over revenue caps for 2016-17
Canada’s big two railways have both overshot the maximum revenue they’re allowed to keep for ferrying the 2016-17 grain crop off the Prairies. The Canadian Transportation Agency on Thursday issued its annual determination of how much, if any, revenue Canadian National Railway (CN) and Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) made over their maximum grain revenue entitlements […] Read more
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