Winnipeg | Reuters — State-owned Chinese agribusiness Cofco Corp. looks to buy 2.5 million tonnes of Canada’s canola crop next year, a boost of more than one-third over its expected purchases this year as its Canadian office gets established, said the company’s global head of softseeds on Wednesday. Cofco opened its Canadian trading office in […] Read more
China’s Cofco seeks larger Canadian canola volumes
Agrium sells U.S. plants to ease Potash Corp merger concerns
Winnipeg | Reuters – Canadian fertilizer producer and farm supplier Agrium Inc said on Tuesday it will sell its Idaho phosphate production facility for $100 million to fertilizer company Itafos, to address concerns of U.S. regulators about its merger with Potash Corp of Saskatchewan. Separately, Agrium will sell its North Bend, Ohio, nitric acid plant […] Read more
Saputo woos Australia farmers in Murray Goulburn rebuild
Winnipeg | Reuters — Saputo, one of Canada’s largest dairy producers, aims to return Australia’s Murray Goulburn Co-operative to profit by aggressively pursuing more of the country’s milk supply, its CEO said on Thursday. The Montreal-based company agreed last week to buy the co-operative for C$1.3 billion including debt, and has already planned 15 meetings […] 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
Mosaic shares tumble on disappointing fertilizer guidance
Reuters – U.S. fertilizer producer Mosaic Co on Tuesday forecast slower phosphate sales and weaker prices for the current quarter, causing shares to plunge as much as 9 percent. The Minnesota-based company predicted third-quarter phosphate sales of 2.2 million to 2.5 million tonnes, down from 2.6 million in the second quarter. Mosaic forecast third-quarter diammonium […] Read more
Global buyers of quality wheat face disappointment in Canada
Winnipeg/Chicago | Reuters — Buyers looking to Canada for high-quality wheat to make bread as drought roils output in the northern U.S. may be thwarted, as dry weather has also hit crops there. Wheat plants with the high protein content needed to bake bread have shrivelled in the U.S., one of the world’s top exporters, […] Read more
U.S. dairy lobby increases pressure on Canada
Ottawa/Winnipeg | Reuters — The U.S. dairy lobby is ratcheting up the pressure on Canada as talks to renegotiate NAFTA draw closer, demanding concessions the Canadian government looks unwilling to grant, according to people familiar with the file. The result could be a brawl that sours efforts to modernize the North American Free Trade Agreement, […] Read more
Canada, other countries raise meat inspection bar for Brazil
Winnipeg/Chicago | Reuters — Meat-importing countries from North America to Europe and Asia have tightened inspection standards for shipments from Brazil in a bid to protect consumers, following a probe into possible corruption involving inspectors. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) said on Wednesday that the tighter inspection standards it enacted in April have resulted […] Read more
Canada’s Richardson buys European Oat Millers
Winnipeg | Reuters –– Richardson International, one of Canada’s largest grain handlers, said Monday it had purchased European Oat Millers in a deal that expands its geographic reach. The acquisition of European Oat Millers, the second-largest oat miller in Europe, closed on June 15, Richardson said in a statement. Both companies are privately owned. Winnipeg-based […] Read more
Trade sees Canadian farmers trimming wheat, canola acres
Winnipeg | Reuters — Soggy spring conditions in key crop-growing areas of the Canadian Prairies left farmers unable to plant as much as they intended, but canola seedings still look record-large, according to a Reuters survey of 16 traders and analysts ahead of a government report next week. Wet weather made fields sloppy in Alberta’s […] Read more
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