(Jack Dykinga photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

Seed groups weigh options as CSGA rejects merger

Grower group's membership calls nay on Seeds Canada amalgamation

The boards of five national seed sector groups planning a major merger are considering their next move after a less-than-unanimous vote on the proposal. Members of the Canadian Plant Technology Agency (CPTA), Commercial Seed Analysts Association of Canada (CSAAC), Canadian Seed Growers’ Association (CSGA), Canadian Seed Institute (CSI) and Canadian Seed Trade Association (CSTA) had […] Read more

Syngenta’s headquarters in Basel, Switzerland. (Photo courtesy Syngenta)

Syngenta says IPO ‘on track’

Ag chem firm books higher first-half profit

Zurich | Reuters — Agricultural chemical maker Syngenta posted higher first-half profit and sales on Thursday, helped by maintaining supplies to farmers and controlling costs during the coronavirus outbreak, and said it was on track to complete its public listing by mid-2022. The Swiss company, bought by state-owned ChemChina for $43 billion in 2017, posted […] Read more


(Serts/iStock/Getty Images)

Pulse weekly outlook: Harvest activity pressures lentils

MarketsFarm — With harvest activity beginning across most of the Prairies, pulse prices are experiencing typical harvest pressure. About 20 per cent of the lentil crop has been harvested in Saskatchewan, according to the province’s crop report from Thursday. The west-central region lagged furthest behind the province’s average rate, with just seven per cent of […] Read more

File photo of cranes at the Port of Montreal. (Jean-Paul_Lejeune/iStock/Getty Images)

Truce reached in Montreal port strike

Longshoremen to return to work Sunday

Striking longshoremen at the Port of Montreal plan to return to work Sunday morning, beginning a truce of up to seven months brokered by federal mediators. Federal Labour Minister Filomena Tassi announced Friday that the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 375, Syndicat des debardeurs and the port’s Maritime Employers Association (MEA) have “concluded […] Read more


(Nestle photo)

Nestle launching pea-based vegan alternative to tuna

'Vuna' going first to Swiss supermarkets

Zurich | Reuters — Food giant Nestle is launching a new plant-based tuna alternative in Switzerland this month ahead of a global rollout, hoping that consumers eating at home during the COVID-19 pandemic will stay eager to try new products. Known for Maggi soups and bouillon cubes, Nestle has been investing in plant-based food to […] Read more

File photo outside Viterra’s downtown Regina office building. (Dave Bedard photo)

‘Glencore Agriculture’ to adopt Viterra brand

Worldwide ag business to rebrand later this year

A trademark that Swiss commodity firm Glencore picked up when it bought its way into Prairie agriculture is about to become the global brand for its agribusiness offspring. David Mattiske, CEO of Glencore Agriculture, announced in a statement Wednesday the company will rebrand the business to Viterra in “late 2020.” The Viterra brand dates back […] Read more


File photo of stormy conditions over Alberta fields. (Larry Stickney/iStock/Getty Images)

Alberta’s AFSC to refund hail premiums on drowned crops

Agency taking applications until Sept. 11

Grain growers in Alberta’s Peace, northeastern and northwestern farming regions whose waterlogged crops are deemed “non-viable” can now file for full refunds on AFSC hail insurance premiums. AFSC, the province’s Agriculture Financial Services Corporation, announced Wednesday it will accept such applications from eligible growers from now until Sept. 11. Applications will be available online through […] Read more



Grain being loaded on a ship at the Hudson Bay port of Churchill in 2015. (MarketsFarm photo by Jade Markus)

Churchill’s shipping season to start next month

Tracks 'in good shape' leading to northern Manitoba port

MarketsFarm — There won’t be any vessels laden with grains and pulses departing from the Port of Churchill until next month, according to Murad Al-Katib, CEO of AGT Foods in Regina. “We’re in the early days of harvest, so it would be very normal to expect the first vessels to arrive in the first half […] Read more

(Dave Bedard photo)

Mexico to phase out use of glyphosate

Farmers to have until 2024 to phase out herbicide

Mexico City | Reuters — Mexico will gradually phase out use of the herbicide glyphosate by the time the current administration ends in late 2024, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Wednesday, following a ministerial spat over the product. Acknowledging differences between his agriculture and environment ministries over the herbicide, which is used in […] Read more