Reading Time: 3 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – Ron Davidson was outraged when he read Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s mandate letter to Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau. The prime minister had issued a series of mandate letters on Dec. 13 that serve as the marching orders for the ministers in his newly elected government. Bibeau’s letter told her to “develop additional […] Read more
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Soybean growers feel abandoned by Ottawa
Sector accuses the federal government of focusing on canola, beef and pork while turning a blind eye to soybeans
Canadian farm equipment sales drop as net farm income plunges
Trade barriers, poor growing conditions and rising costs take bite from income
Reading Time: 3 minutes Canadian farmers are feeling the financial pinch of lost markets and rising expenses after a prolonged period of prosperity, according to recently published statistics. Net farm income plummeted 46 per cent (in constant 2012 dollars) in 2018 after seven years of above-average incomes. The outlook for 2019 is equally grim. Why it matters: As the […] Read more
Argentinian politics may prompt soybean glut
Politics will continue to play a major role in grain markets in 2019-20 and this time some effect will come from Argentina
Reading Time: 2 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – Argentina’s recent election results could have a profound impact on corn, soybean and wheat markets, said an analyst who closely follows South America’s grain and oilseed sector. Incumbent Mauricio Macri is on his way out, and the new president will be Alberto Fernandez. Not much is known about Fernandez, who was a […] Read more
Dry beans absorb major hit
Canadian production is down, but not much as in the United States
Reading Time: 2 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – It has been a disastrous year for most areas in North America in dry bean production and that will eventually result in rising prices, says an industry executive. “Values to the farmer are slowly but surely going to improve and it don’t matter what class of bean you’ve got,” said Tim Courneya, […] Read more
Now might be the right time to buy phosphorus: analyst
Extra global supply has dropped prices, but the glut is ending
Reading Time: 3 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – International phosphate prices have tumbled in 2019 as supply has far outstripped demand but they could start climbing this fall, says an analyst. “I do see more upside to it, I absolutely do,” said Josh Linville, fertilizer analyst with INTL FCStone. Phosphate was trading in New Orleans for about US$300 per tonne […] Read more
Game-changing breeding technique makes progress
University launches a four-year research project into apomixis, a ‘disruptive technology’ for plant breeding
Reading Time: 3 minutes University of Saskatchewan researchers are making good progress on a “disruptive technology” that will turn crop breeding on its head. Apomixis is a form of asexual seed production found in numerous wild plant species such as buttercups, Kentucky bluegrass and St. John’s wort. “The mother plant makes seeds that have embryos that are genetic clones […] Read more
The long-term African swine fever implications
Some analysts think the effect on the Chinese swine herd could be catastrophic
Reading Time: 3 minutes Analysts think African swine fever could destroy China’s hog herd, forcing it to significantly increase meat imports. African swine fever is about to unleash the most profound changes in meat and feedgrain markets that farmers will see in their lifetime, says a market analyst. Shawn Hackett, president of Hackett Financial Advisors, said a “pandemic of […] Read more
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