Cairo | Reuters — A court that ordered the suspension of Egypt’s food inspection system based its ruling in part on the quarantine service’s right to ban grain imports with any trace of the ergot fungus, raising the possibility the contested rule could be restored. The government’s new food inspection system simplified trade after a […] Read more
Egypt court ruling revives row over ergot in wheat
Farmers keen early adopters, StatsCan report shows
CNS Canada — Canadian farmers in most sectors are strong proponents of data-driven technology, according to a report Wednesday from Statistics Canada. The latest release from StatsCan’s 2016 Census of Agriculture showed farmers were particularly keen to jump into new technology if it improved the efficiency of their operations or their bottom lines. StatsCan spokesperson […] Read more
Ag sector equity rises in 2016
CNS Canada –– Agriculture sector equity rose slightly in 2016, according to a Statistics Canada balance sheet on the industry. Farm sector equity totaled $500.3 billion for the year ending Dec. 31. That’s a 4.5 per cent increase, or $21.6 billion, from the same period a year ago, according to the report released Wednesday. Farm […] Read more
CBOT weekly outlook: Corn, soy set for major move on acres
CNS Canada — Corn futures on the Chicago Board of Trade could be set for a major move depending on what the U.S. Department of Agriculture reveals in next week’s acreage estimates, according to an analyst. “We’ll find out, did we really plant the 90 million (acres) or are we under?” said Scott Capinegro, president […] Read more
U.S. grains: Wheat dips, halting rally as weather damage assessed
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago wheat futures fell nearly two per cent on Wednesday, after hitting their highest level in a year as traders assessed the extent to which hot, dry weather would dent a global market laden with record inventories. Corn and soybean futures declined as forecasts called for benign crop weather in the […] Read more
U.S. Trade Representative says no deadline for NAFTA deal
Washington | Reuters — U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said on Wednesday there was no deadline for completing NAFTA trade talks between the United States, Canada and Mexico even as lawmakers warned that U.S. business would be hurt by prolonged negotiations. “There is no deadline. My hope is that we can get it done by […] Read more
PotashCorp, Agrium choose new married name
Canadian fertilizer giants Agrium and PotashCorp have picked the new brand under which they plan to do business once their proposed merger clears. Calgary-based Agrium and Saskatoon-based PotashCorp announced Wednesday their new merged company, pending regulatory review and approvals, will be named Nutrien. “The new organization will be the global leader in reliable, low-cost crop […] Read more
U.S. grain handler Lansing buys Interstate
Chicago | Reuters — Grain handler Lansing Trade Group LLC is buying Interstate Commodities, marking another step in consolidation that is rippling through the U.S. agriculture sector as persistently low prices keep pressure on profits. The combined companies could handle as much as seven per cent of the U.S. corn supply of over 15 billion […] Read more
U.S. grains: Wheat climbs as traders fret over U.S., French crops
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. spring wheat futures set fresh 2-1/2-year highs on Tuesday as a further decline in spring wheat condition ratings surprised traders and coincided with concern about damage to French wheat from a heat wave. But corn and soybean futures fell on improving U.S. crop weather, coupled with broad weakness in other […] Read more
NAFTA agriculture ministers see ‘few’ differences over trade
Garden City, Ga. | Reuters — The U.S., Canada and Mexico have “relatively few” differences on agricultural trade, agriculture ministers from the three countries said in a joint statement after meeting Tuesday to discuss the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement. However, some “irritants” are present for each country in the runup to […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
