An increase in Canadian grain traffic helped support Canadian National Railway’s third-quarter revenues, though the costs of increased traffic ate at its bottom line. Montreal-based CN on Tuesday reported net income of $958 million on total revenues of $3.221 billion for the quarter ending Sept. 30, down from $972 million on $3.014 billion in the […] Read more

Grain handle helps lift CN quarterly revenue

Bayer sees more antitrust asset sales ahead
Frankfurt | Reuters — Bayer said it expected antitrust authorities to make the planned acquisition of Monsanto conditional on more asset sales after agreeing to sell seed and herbicide businesses for 5.9 billion euro (C$8.8 billion) to BASF. “By no means did the deal that was signed with BASF constitute the totality of antitrust divestitures… […] Read more

Farm fuel to be exempt from Manitoba carbon tax
Farm fuel will be exempt from a carbon tax, Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister said in an interview Thursday on the eve of announcing his government’s Made-in-Manitoba Climate and Green Plan. “It does exempt some farm costs — farm fuel, for example,” he said. “I know we’ll get pushback from some industry groups that are not […] Read more

PotashCorp Q3 profit disappoints ahead of merger
Reuters — Canada’s PotashCorp, set to merge with rival Agrium to withstand a fertilizer slump, reported a smaller-than-expected quarterly profit Thursday and narrowed its full-year forecast, pressuring its stock. Prices of crop nutrient potash have leveled off this year after hitting eight-year lows late last year due to low crop prices and excessive production capacity. […] Read more

U.S. grains: Wheat, corn, soy fall on weak technicals, ample supplies
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat futures weakened for a second consecutive day on Thursday, with technical sellers pushing prices lower after the market failed to hold support at key chart points, traders said. K.C. hard red winter wheat led the declines, sinking 1.2 per cent, as improving moisture conditions in the U.S. Plains boosted […] Read more

U.S. grains: Wheat, corn weaken after strong start
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Board of Trade wheat futures eased on Wednesday on a round of profit taking after prices firmed to 2-1/2 week highs during the session. “The wheat market has had trouble with the 50-day moving average since the middle of September, and today was no different,” Charlie Sernatinger, global head of […] Read more

Climate FieldView data system ready for Prairies
In beta testing in the region for much of this year, the Climate FieldView crop data system from Monsanto’s Climate Corp. has gone live on the Prairies. The Climate Corp. announced Wednesday the Climate FieldView platform is available for purchase in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta on a per-acre basis, allowing farmers to start using it […] Read more

EU delays decision on glyphosate
Brussels | Reuters — EU countries failed on Wednesday to vote on a licence extension for glyphosate, delaying again a decision on the widely used herbicide that critics say could cause cancer. The European Commission said in a statement the relevant committee did not hold a vote at a meeting and that it would announce […] Read more

U.S. grains: Soybeans fall as harvest speeds up
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures eased on Tuesday after a U.S. government report showed farmers had increased their pace of harvesting what is expected to be a massive crop after a slow start, analysts said. Corn and wheat futures also settled in positive territory, recovering early losses after holding support at key technical […] Read more

Xplornet to buy NetSet
A rural broadband provider serving over 500 Manitoba municipalities and communities is set to be absorbed into one of Canada’s biggest rural operators. Xplornet Communications announced Monday it has signed a deal to buy the internet access business of Brandon-based NetSet Communications. Financial terms of the deal for the privately-held Manitoba company weren’t disclosed, except […] Read more