Ocean freight rates have come up off their two-year lows over the past month but are still relatively soft, which is beneficial for Canadian grain exports as the country is traditionally at a freight disadvantage to some of its competitors. The Baltic Dry Index, which tracks global shipping rates, is currently sitting at around US$1,500[...]
Soft ocean freight rates benefit grain exports
N.S. quashes Annapolis Valley ag land rezoning
A controversial rezoning that would have allowed residential and commercial development on farmland in Nova Scotia’s Annapolis Valley has been shot down by the province. Agriculture Minister John MacDonell, in his other role as minister of municipal relations and government services, announced his decision Wednesday after putting Kings County’s February rezoning application under ministerial review […] Read more
Viterra plans storage upgrades in western Sask.
Grain handler Viterra plans to start work this spring on expansions for its elevators at North Battleford and Lloydminster, Sask. Construction at the Regina company’s Lloydminster elevator will involve an additional 12,000 tonnes of storage capacity, bringing total grain storage to 27,000 tonnes. Viterra said it will also expand its rail car loading capacity at […] Read more
Federal ag R+D funding booked in lame-duck budget
Farmer groups are largely positive on proposed spending for agricultural research and innovation in a federal budget that’s expected to die and send Canada into a spring election. Federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty’s budget, released Tuesday in the House of Commons, calls for $25 million in additional spending in each of the next two fiscal […] Read more
Beef deal with EU calls for Canada to drop sanctions
A tentative agreement with the European Union would see European nations expand market access for Canadian beef, while Canada would drop all related trade sanctions in exchange. The European Commission, the oversight body for EU legislation, said in a release Thursday that the EU and Canada have signed a memorandum of understanding in a years-long[...]
Malting grades added to weed killer’s use in barley
A broadleaf weed killer combo previously registered for use in Prairie spring wheat, durum and feed barley crops can now also be used in malting barley. DuPont Canada's crop protection arm said Monday it has picked up registration for the expanded label on its Group 2 and 4 wettable-granule product Triton C. The product is[...]
Klassen: Feeder cattle hold value
Western Canadian feeder cattle markets were $1 to $2 higher despite the weaker tone in other commodity markets. Fed cattle were steady to $1 lower causing feedlot buying interest to remain strong throughout the week. Healthy feeding margins along with weakness in the corn market appeared to override the Japanese demand uncertainty. In central Alberta, […] Read more
Former Manitoba ag minister Sam Uskiw, 77
Funeral services will be held April 2 at East Selkirk, Man. for Sam Uskiw, who served eight years as Manitoba’s minister of agriculture in Edward Schreyer’s government. Uskiw, 77, died “peacefully” in hospital on Saturday at Selkirk, Man., according to a brief obituary Tuesday. Uskiw was a farmer in the East Selkirk area and active […] Read more
Sask. launches spring flooding website
The Saskatchewan government has launched a website tying together flood and weather forecasts, runoff data and other information to get the public prepared for this spring. “As the March runoff forecast issued by Saskatchewan Watershed Authority illustrates, areas of the province are certain to experience spring flooding this year,” Weyburn MLA Dustin Duncan, the provincial […] Read more
Feds to legislate service agreement option for rail shippers
Enshrining Canadian rail shippers' right to a service agreement with a Canadian railway will be part of the federal government's legislative response to the recommendations of the Rail Freight Service Review. A final report was released in late December from the service review, which was launched in 2008 to look at shippers' "ongoing issues" with[...]
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