U.S. restrictions that have hindered that country’s imports of live Canadian sheep and goats, going back to the start of the BSE crisis in 2003, are set to be scrapped and replaced with rules applying specifically to scrapie. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal Plant and Health Inspection Service (APHIS) on Friday published a new […] Read more
U.S. to lift BSE-related rules off sheep, goat imports
New scrapie-specific rules take effect next month
Buyer found for ag retailer Blair’s contested outlet
ProSoils to buy Blair's location at Lipton, Sask.
Crop input retail chain Blair’s Crop Solutions has a deal in place to sell one of its eastern Saskatchewan sites to meet its obligation to federal regulators. The chain, a joint venture between Federated Co-operatives and the Blair’s Family of Companies, announced Monday it will sell its site at Lipton, Sask., about 80 km west […] Read more
Farmers ask U.S. Justice Department to probe fertilizer price spikes
Reuters — Farmers have asked the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate whether recent spikes in fertilizer prices are attributable to market manipulation by fertilizer companies, according to a letter sent Wednesday by the Family Farm Action Alliance. The group, which has more than 6,000 farmer and rural members, alleges fertilizer companies are setting prices […] Read more
U.S. grains: Wheat futures drop on weather view
CBOT corn, soybean futures rise
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Board of Trade winter wheat futures fell 1.7 per cent on Wednesday as forecasts for mild temperatures and some rain in key growing areas raised hopes that the crop will be in good condition before it heads into dormancy, traders said. “U.S. weather for wheat looks pretty good,” said Terry […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Cattle futures fall on weak cash markets
Hog futures down for fourth day
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures fell on Wednesday, pressured by technical selling and signs of weakness in the cash markets, traders said. Hog futures were lower for the fourth day in a row, with the front-month contract sinking to its lowest in 10 months on weak export prospects and a […] Read more
ICE weekly outlook: Canola futures still well supported
MarketsFarm — The ICE Futures canola market was showing signs of running into resistance to the upside during the week ended Wednesday, as speculators booked profits on some of their large long positions. The general uptrend, however, remains intact despite the minor correction. While bouts of consolidation were not unexpected, “the trends are still upward […] Read more
Feed weekly outlook: Wheat, barley supplies tighten, replaced by corn
MarketsFarm — The further tightening of wheat and barley feed supplies is prompting feedlots to purchase more corn from the U.S., according to an Alberta-based analyst. “We’re nine months away, or almost 10 months away from more inventory coming in. There’s not much there for wheat and barley,” said Mike Fleischhauer of Eagle Commodities at […] Read more
South African plan to allow land expropriation fails to pass
Constitutional amendment defeated by ruling ANC's opponents on both sides
Johannesburg | Reuters –– A proposal to change South Africa’s constitution to explicitly allow expropriation of land with no compensation failed to win the two-thirds of parliamentary votes that it needed on Tuesday. Lawmakers debated whether to change Section 25 of the constitution to enable authorities to seize land to address racial land inequalities left […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Hog and cattle futures fall
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange hog futures fell for the third day in a row on Tuesday, hitting their lowest in more than a month. Cattle futures also were weaker, with weak profit margins weighing on the market. CME February lean hogs settled 1.675 cents lower at 76.55 cents/lb. (all figures US$). The […] Read more
Pulse weekly outlook: Expect little movement in prices during holidays
MarketsFarm — There were no surprises for pulses in Statistics Canada’s latest production report, according to Marlene Boersch of Mercantile Venture Consulting in Winnipeg. With that in mind, she doesn’t expect any significant price changes for pulses. “Part of the reason is we’re starting to glide into the holiday period. We’ll probably see some movement […] Read more
Canadian Cattlemen Presents: Depth of Field
