Winnipeg/Chicago | Reuters — North American farmers will pressure regulators to protect their negotiating leverage with fertilizer suppliers if PotashCorp and Agrium agree to merge, major farm groups said on Wednesday. The potential deal revealed on Tuesday would combine the world’s largest fertilizer producer by capacity, with the continent’s biggest network of farm retail dealers, […] Read more
PotashCorp, Agrium merger would send farmers to regulators
U.S. grains: Wheat falls to decade low on ample supplies
Reuters — Wheat futures dropped to their lowest price in Chicago in nearly a decade on Friday, pressured by ample supplies and technical selling. Corn dropped for the fifth straight session and soybeans lost ground for the fourth straight day, as a U.S. tour of mostly robust crops wrapped up. The Chicago Board of Trade […] Read more
Canadian canola exporters book sales to China
Winnipeg | Reuters — Canadian exporters are making small sales of canola to China under Beijing’s stricter terms, an industry group and three sources said, possibly undermining Ottawa’s hardline negotiating stance with the world’s top market for the oilseed. The dispute over the new shipping standard, which industry groups in the world’s biggest canola exporter […] Read more
U.S. grains: Soybeans sag to near two-week low as crop impresses scouts
Reuters — Chicago soybean futures slid for a third consecutive session on Thursday, giving up three per cent to their lowest since mid-August, as a widely watched crop tour reported bumper prospects across the U.S. Midwest. Corn and wheat lost ground for a fourth session in a row, amid expectations for huge global grain supplies. […] Read more
U.S. grains: Soybeans weighed down by big harvest prospects
Reuters — U.S. soybeans and grains dipped on Wednesday, weighed down by abundant harvest prospects in key countries. Soybeans led the way lower, as the closely watched four-day Pro Farmer U.S. Midwest Crop Tour scouted impressive crops in central Illinois, following its observation a day earlier of above-average soybean pod counts in Nebraska and Indiana. […] Read more
Canada, China canola talks end without deal
Winnipeg | Reuters — Talks between Canadian and Chinese officials ended in Beijing without China backing down from plans to toughen its inspection standard for canola, threatening $2 billion in Canadian exports of the oilseed ahead of a visit by Canada’s prime minister. Discussions will continue between the two governments, and resolving the issue is […] Read more
Canada, China meet to solve canola spat as deadline looms
Winnipeg | Reuters — Canadian officials are in Beijing this week to try to convince China to back off a plan to toughen its standard for Canada’s canola shipments, which has stalled $2 billion in trade, government and industry officials said on Wednesday. China’s quarantine authority AQSIQ told Ottawa in February that it would impose a […] Read more
Farm tech investment drops off after record year
Reuters — Investor backing for agriculture technology startups cooled in the first half of 2016 after record global investment last year, according to industry data released on Monday. Funding from venture capitalists and others totaled US$1.8 billion through the first six months of the year, down 20 per cent from a year earlier, while the number […] Read more
Fertilizer price slump chops profits at Agrium, CF
Reuters — Two of North America’s biggest fertilizer companies reported large drops in quarterly profit on Wednesday, and warned of tough times ahead as abundant supplies weighed on prices. At U.S. nitrogen producer CF Industries, second-quarter profit fell 87 per cent — more than expected — and it warned prices would likely remain weak into […] Read more
Most water tests safe after Sask. oil spill, but no all-clear
Reuters — Out of 900 water samples tested from a major Canadian river polluted by an oil spill last month, five exceeded drinking water guidelines, officials said Wednesday, cautioning it was unclear when the river would be safe to drink from again. The July 20 leak from a Husky Energy pipeline into the North Saskatchewan […] Read more
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