Chicago | Reuters — U.S. farm co-operative and grains trader CHS Inc. would be interested in the Canadian grain handling assets of embattled commodities trader Glencore, but only if they came at a discounted price, CHS CEO Carl Casale said in an exclusive interview. As part of a debt-reduction plan, Swiss-based Glencore has said it […] Read more
Flax
CHS says Viterra intriguing at right price
Next StatsCan survey expected to show larger canola, wheat crops
CNS Canada — Yields are generally beating earlier expectations as the harvest progresses across Western Canada, which should lead to upward revisions to canola and wheat when Statistics Canada releases its latest production survey results Friday. However, those numbers still may be underreported, and further revisions are expected in subsequent reports. “As the harvest is […] Read more
Glencore reported moving ahead on ag stake sale
Commodities firm Glencore, the owner of Prairie grain-handling heavyweight Viterra, is reported as already moving forward on plans to bring minority investors into its ag business. Glencore announced earlier this month it plans to tame the debt it’s racked up in its recent major expansions, partly through sales of assets and new shares. Those assets, […] Read more
Flax crop could average 30 bushels an acre
CNS Canada –– Canada’s 2015-16 flax crop could be about 30 per cent bigger than last year’s, according to an expert in the industry. “A million tonnes is what they’re talking about for Canada,” said Richard Zacharias, general manager of Prairie Flax Products near Portage la Prairie, Man. While the majority of the crop still […] Read more
Sales from organic U.S. farms reached $5.5B last year
Chicago | Reuters — Sales from organic U.S. farms reached US$5.5 billion last year, a 72 per cent increase from 2008, the U.S. Agriculture Department said in a report on Thursday that highlighted the consumer trend toward such products. The USDA data, compiled through farmer surveys, showed that milk was the top organic commodity in […] Read more
‘Megatrends’ expected to move ag sector in future
CNS Canada — Health-conscious customers with money to spend will be looking to purchase more food over the next 20 years, while changing technologies and global economic uncertainty will bring their own challenges. That’s the outlook in a recent report out of Australia, highlighting five megatrends expected to impact the agricultural sector in the coming […] Read more
Severe ‘food shocks’ seen more likely due to extreme weather
London | Reuters — Extreme weather such as intense storms, droughts and heatwaves will cause more frequent and severe food shortages as the global climate and food supply systems change, British and U.S. experts warned Friday. The pressure on the world’s food supplies is so great, and the increase in extreme weather events so rapid, […] Read more
Yields to take precedence over acres in Canada
CNS Canada –– Canadian farmers seeded a bit more canola and a bit less wheat than originally expected, according to updated acreage estimates from Statistics Canada, released Tuesday. However, worsening drought conditions in the western Prairies over the past month and the need for reseeding due to frost damage earlier in June mean actual yields […] Read more
Flax market falling in anticipation of large new crop
CNS Canada –– Spot prices for flax in Western Canada have dropped off in the last couple of days, reacting to expectations of large new-crop production in other parts of the world. “If you look at the main line companies, they’ve gone from C$13 to $14 a bushel, down to $11.60,” said Grant Fehr, flaxseed […] Read more
Flaxseed acres likely to top official estimates
CNS Canada — The relative strength in flaxseed bids, recent uncertainty in other cropping options and a general need to mitigate risk could see a few more acres sway towards the oilseed in Western Canada this spring, according to some market watchers. Statistics Canada recently forecast flaxseed plantings for 2015-16 at 1.63 million acres, which […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
