Louis Dreyfus’ oilseed processing plant at Yorkton, Sask. (LDC.com)

Louis Dreyfus expects tough year on trade war, swine fever

Paris | Reuters — Agricultural commodity giant Louis Dreyfus warned on Monday that international trade tensions and a swine disease epidemic would continue to weigh on its activities in the rest of the year after pushing down first-half profit. The interim results reversed a rebound in group profits in the second half of last year […] Read more

Red clover is one option to plant for forage, but its challenge is volume and drydown time.

Finding alternative forage options to alfalfa

High alfalfa winterkill levels this spring led growers to consider other species to get enough feed

High winterkill in forage this spring meant farmers looked for other species to provide feed for livestock. OMAFRA forage and grazing specialist Christine O’Reilly and University of Guelph forage research technician Donna Hancock took the opportunity to review some different forage options at the FarmSmart Expo at the Elora Research Station in July. Why it […] Read more


Beni Abbes, a village in western Algeria. (Cia.gov)

Algeria to open farming concessions to foreigners

Algiers | Reuters — Algeria plans to offer foreign investors concessions for farm land for the first time, according to an official document, as the oil producer seeks to boost food output and reduce reliance on imports. Under the plan, which is expected to be discussed by the cabinet this week before being submitted to […] Read more

Believe it or not, this is a soil test in progress and it can tell you a lot about the health of your soil.  Photo: Staff

VIDEO: Underground undies measuring the health of soil

Are you bold enough to soil your undies? The Soil Conservation Council of Canada (SCCC) is and it recently kicked off National Soil Conservation Week by burying several pairs of men’s cotton underwear up to the waistband. After 60 days in six inches of soil, what will it all mean? A healthy soil will show that the […] Read more


(Kelloggs.ca)

Kellogg’s sales miss analysts’ estimates

Reuters — Kellogg Co.’s quarterly sales dropped 6.6 per cent, missing analysts’ estimates, as demand slid further for its breakfast foods and snacks, which include Corn Flakes and Froot Loops. Kellogg also said a strong dollar was expected to hurt sales this year more than it had anticipated, mainly due to a sharp fall in […] Read more

China to let land lie fallow as grain stocks surge

Beijing/Reuters – China’s ruling Communist Party has for the first time proposed to let land lie fallow in some areas to ease pressure on exhausted water and land resources while grain stocks are near record levels, state media reported on Wednesday. After years of excessive cultivation and bumper grain harvests, China is facing severe shortages […] Read more