(Dave Bedard photo)

CP cuts raise worry over potential slowdown

CNS Canada –– Canadian Pacific Railway’s decision to cut 1,000 jobs has caught the attention of two Prairie farm leaders. Norm Hall, president of Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan, worries the move is short-sighted and may catch up with the railway in months and years to come, when commodity prices catch fire again. “You dump […] Read more

(Country Guide file photo)

Lower loonie helps farmers, but only so much

CNS Canada — The slumping price of oil continues to weigh on the Canadian dollar, while at the same time providing a boost to Canadian grain prices. Out-of-country buyers tend to more attracted to Canadian grain and wheat when the loonie is low, as they can get more product for their money. However, one market […] Read more


(PortoDoItaqui.ma.gov.br)

Vessel demand concerns extend Baltic index fall

Reuters — The Baltic Exchange’s main sea freight index, which tracks rates for ships carrying industrial commodities, extended its record low run to a 14th straight session on Friday on persistent vessel glut and weak demand. The overall Baltic Dry Index, which gauges the cost of shipping dry bulk including iron ore, cement, grain, coal […] Read more

(CPR.ca)

CP books more Prairie grain revenue at year-end

Higher grain revenue on Canada’s Prairies helped lead to record full-year revenues and offset a lower fourth-quarter gross for Canadian Pacific Railway (CP), as the company warned of substantial job cuts ahead. The railway on Thursday reported overall net income of $1.352 billion on record revenue of $6.712 billion for 2015, down from $1.476 billion […] Read more


Red lentils. (Pulse Canada photo)

India’s pulses under stress, need well-timed rain

CNS Canada –– India, the world’s largest producer of pulses, needs moisture before crops hit the reproductive cycle at the end of January, or existing losses will become amplified, a weather analyst says. The driest areas in India are important pulse-producing regions in northeastern Andhra Pradesh and neighbouring Uttar Pradesh, said Drew Lerner of World […] Read more

(CNW Group/Legumex Walker)

Ex-Legumex crush plant gets new owners, supply deal

Canada’s top grain handler is set to start feeding canola to a U.S. West Coast crushing plant now half-owned by the Prairie company’s parent firm. Regina-based Viterra, the grain handling arm of multinational commodity firm Glencore, on Tuesday announced a supply and marketing deal with Pacific Coast Canola (PCC), a next-to-new crush plant at Warden, Wash., […] Read more


TBARS director Dr. Tarlok Singh Sahota shows off a test plot of black barley in this 2014 file photo.

Thunder Bay ag research station gets stay

More time has been bought for a northern Ontario agricultural research station on the brink of closing to come up with a new operating plan. The Ontario government on Monday announced $350,000 in bridge funding for the not-for-profit Thunder Bay Agricultural Research Association, operator of the Thunder Bay Agricultural Research Station (TBARS), to “develop a […] Read more



Green peas. (PulseCanada.com)

Trends for 2016: Pulses expected to steal acres from cereals

CNS Canada — Canadian farmers are expected to seed more pulse crops at the expense of cereals in 2016, according to early projections from industry experts looking at current market trends. “Definitely we’ll see an increase in pulse crop acreage,” said Bruce Burnett, weather and crop specialist at G3 Canada. Lentils and peas are seeing […] Read more

(NSCorp.com)

CP revises hostile bid for Norfolk Southern, again

Reuters — Canadian Pacific Railway slammed railway Norfolk Southern on Wednesday, accusing it of misleading investors even as CP executives rolled out a new bid with increased shareholder protections to acquire the U.S.-based railroad. Executives from Canada’s second-largest railroad said the deal is now in the hands of Norfolk Southern’s shareholders, and urged its board […] Read more