The Agricultural Institute of Canada (AIC) says the next suite of Growing Forward programs should include funds dedicated to communicating about research to the general public. Its 2016 Conference Report (the Report), which summarizes the need for the agricultural sector to better disseminate research results to producers, farmers, industry, academia, consumers and among the research […] Read more
Report discusses disseminating agricultural research
No drying trend in store for Canadian Prairies
Commodity News Service – Crops on the Western Canadian Prairies could be seeing more soggy conditions in the next six to 10 days, according to a noted U.S. weather watcher. “Saskatchewan and Manitoba will probably have a net drying bias for this week,” said Drew Lerner of World Weather Inc. in Kansas City on July 25. […] Read more
Mosaic idles Saskatchewan potash mine
Reuters — Fertilizer producer Mosaic Co. has idled production at its Colonsay, Sask. potash mine for the rest of 2016, and temporarily laid off 330 workers, the company said in a statement Wednesday. Potash prices are hovering around the lowest levels seen in a decade, amid excessive output capacity and delays in setting annual supply […] Read more
Storms trim potential for big Prairie crops
Reuters — Heavy rain and strong winds are likely to curb the potential for Western Canada’s crops, government officials said, but the harvest may still be bigger than average. Pockets across Saskatchewan, Canada’s biggest wheat- and canola-growing province, received as much as five inches of rain, strong winds and hail since Sunday. The storms flattened […] Read more
Monsanto reported exploring BASF ag unit buy
Reuters — Seed company Monsanto, which rejected Bayer’s buyout offer in May, is exploring various transactions, including the acquisition of BASF’s agriculture-solutions unit, news service Bloomberg reported. In return, BASF would likely receive newly issued shares in Monsanto, Bloomberg said, citing people familiar with the matter. The discussions are at an early stage, and no […] Read more
Quinoa crops flourish so far across Prairies
CNS Canada — The Canadian Prairies may seem an unlikely place for quinoa to flourish, but the South American grain is making remarkable gains up north. There is only one company, Northern Quinoa Corp., growing and producing quinoa in Canada. For over 20 years they’ve grown and produced small acreages, but the rising popularity of […] Read more
Danone to buy U.S. organic foods group WhiteWave
Paris | Reuters — France’s Danone said on Thursday it would double the size of its U.S. business by buying organic foods producer WhiteWave Foods in a deal worth US$12.5 billion, including some $2.1 billion of debt and “other” liabilities. The purchase will help the French company to pursue affluent consumers by adding WhiteWave’s popular […] Read more
U.S. GMO food labeling bill passes Senate
UPDATED, July 7, 2016 | Reuters — The U.S. Senate on Thursday approved legislation that would for the first time require food to carry labels listing genetically-modified ingredients, which labeling supporters say could create loopholes for some U.S. crops. The Senate voted 63-30 for the bill that would display GMO contents with words, pictures or […] Read more
Agrium to buy Cargill’s U.S. ag retail business
Chicago | Reuters –– U.S. grain trader Cargill has agreed to sell its ag retail business in the United States to crop input seller and distributor Agrium, the companies said Wednesday. Calgary-based Agrium, North America’s largest retail seller of crop inputs such as seed, fertilizer and pesticides, will acquire 18 ag retail locations in Nebraska, […] Read more
Food commodity prices seen stable over next decade
Paris | Reuters –– Higher agricultural productivity and slightly larger crop areas in the coming decade will cover rises in food demand, leading to stable prices and a period of more restrained agricultural markets, the FAO and OECD said Monday. In their annual Agricultural Outlook report, the Food and Agriculture Organization and the Organisation for […] Read more
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