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Burnett on Markets: Suddenly agriculture is important

COVID-19 is putting food security in the spotlight

MarketsFarm — A trend has developed in the business news channels over the past week that has not been hard to miss. Suddenly the CEOs of big agriculture and food concerns are being featured front and centre during the business segments. Usually these companies are noted only when they release quarterly results and even then […] Read more

Reginald Conyers, a traveling busker, plays the trumpet outside a Safeway while people observing social distancing wait in line to enter the store  in Oakland on March 20, 2020. (Photo: Reuters/Kate Munsch)

Panic buying, lockdowns may drive world food inflation

World has ample grain and oilseed supplies, FAO and analysts say

Singapore | Reuters — Lockdowns and panic food buying due to the coronavirus pandemic could ignite world food inflation even though there are ample supplies of staple grains and oilseeds in key exporting nations, a senior economist at FAO and agricultural analysts said. The world’s richest nations poured unprecedented aid into the global economy as […] Read more

(Video screengrab from CBSA-asfc.gc.ca)

U.S.-Canada border to temporarily close to nonessential travel

Washington/Ottawa | Reuters — The U.S.-Canada border will close to nonessential traffic, U.S. President Donald Trump tweeted on Wednesday, saying details on the move would be announced later but that it would not affect trade between the two countries. “We will be, by mutual consent, temporarily closing our Northern Border with Canada to non-essential traffic. […] Read more

(CdnAgDay.ca)

Ottawa’s Agriculture Day gathering a sector-wide affair

Agriculture Day celebrations across Canada on Tuesday included a conference in Ottawa with roughly 500 attendees from across the ag sector. Hosted by Agriculture More than Ever, the event aimed to bring together people involved in agriculture, food and agribusiness. “We’re having a gathering to celebrate Canadian agriculture and food and the contributions that we […] Read more

Huawei chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou leaves B.C. Supreme Court on a lunch break during her extradition hearing in Vancouver on Jan. 22, 2020. (Photo: Reuters/Jennifer Gauthier)

Improving global ag trade may not favour Canada

MarketsFarm — When it comes to improving global trade relations, a rising tide may not lift all boats. In the recently-signed Phase One trade deal between the U.S. and China, Beijing pledged to significantly increase Chinese purchases of U.S. soybeans and other agriculture goods. “Where does that leave room for Canada, given the demand side […] Read more


Nobody has to tell wild animals what to eat, how much, or how to self-medicate by altering their diet to include rarely eaten foods. Why?

Animals seek food nutrition; humans could relearn how

EFAO speaker questions nutritional merits of food

When it comes to healthy eating, humans have a lot to learn, or relearn, from wild and domesticated farm animals. This “nutritional wisdom” has been a career-long research focus for University of Utah professor emeritus Fred Provenza. It was also a focus during three sessions he delivered at the recent sixth annual education conference of […] Read more

Marie-Claude Bibeau speaks to reporters in Winnipeg in this March 2019 file photo.

Bibeau working to build cases on AgriStability, carbon taxes

Not all governments have same ability to find money to increase BRM funding, she says

Canada’s minister of agriculture and agri-food says she is working on building business cases for improvements to AgriStability and relief from carbon taxes on grain drying. Marie-Claude Bibeau spoke to Farmtario in a year-end interview before Christmas. Why it matters: There are several significant issues being dealt with by Bibeau and the outcomes will have […] Read more

(Dave Bedard photo)

Pulse weekly outlook: FCC sees opportunities for exports

MarketsFarm — Farm Credit Canada (FCC) on Tuesday released a report titled Diversifying Canada’s agriculture exports, which included pulses and also looked at some of the pros and cons to diversifying Canada’s wheat, canola and soybeans. “Canada has done extremely well in establishing strong trade relations in a number of key markets thanks to a […] Read more


Golden oyster mushrooms are among the many varieties of gourmet mushrooms grown in Canada.

Consumer curiosity expands mushroom sector

Specialty mushroom production makes up only two per cent of total Canadian production, but interest is growing

Glacier FarmMedia – The specialty mushroom market has been growing steadily for years. Ryan Koeslag, chief executive officer of Mushrooms Canada, said figures indicate a 25 per cent increase annually in specialty mushroom production, although given there are relatively few growers, the numbers aren’t as large as that figure might suggest. Statistics Canada data indicate […] Read more

Genetically modified cotton plants with an edible cottonseed trait are seen growing near Belvidere in northeastern North Carolina. (Texas A+M University handout via Reuters)

U.S. regulators allow GM cotton as human food source

Washington | Reuters — U.S. regulators on Friday gave the green light for genetically modified cotton to be used for human consumption, paving the way for a protein-packed new food source — edible cottonseed that tastes a bit like chickpeas — that its developers said could help tackle global malnutrition. The Food and Drug Administration’s […] Read more