
Brazil’s ag ministry investigating suspected BSE case
Evidence suggests 'atypical' BSE, source says
Sao Paulo | Reuters — Brazil’s agriculture ministry said Wednesday it was investigating a suspected case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in the country, according to a statement. An industry source told Reuters, on condition of anonymity, that the suspected case occurred in the southeastern state of Minas Gerais. The ministry said such investigations are […] Read more

U.S. grains: Corn, soybeans sag on export worries after Ida
Wheat futures follow downward
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn futures fell about two per cent on Wednesday, with the benchmark December contract hitting a seven-week low as worries about shipping delays from the U.S. Gulf Coast triggered a round of long liquidation, analysts said. Soybean futures touched a two-month low and wheat followed the weaker trend. Commodity funds […] Read more

Health Canada warns people not to take livestock dewormers
No evidence that drug is effective against COVID-19
“Concerning reports” of people in Canada seeking out veterinary-grade dewormers for personal use have led Health Canada to formally advise against doing so. News reports in Western Canada in the past week have described increased demand from non-farming consumers for veterinary-grade ivermectin, whether at livestock supply retailers or online. While ivermectin is an antiparasitic drug […] Read more

ICE weekly outlook: Canola futures slide, cash prices might not follow
Weakness seen ongoing in soy complex
MarketsFarm — If the October soyoil contract on the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) falls to 55 U.S. cents/lb., it’s likely ICE Futures canola will drop to around $850 per tonne, according to analyst Errol Anderson of ProMarket Communications in Calgary. ICE November canola closed Wednesday at $890.80 per tonne, giving up $10.80 since the […] Read more

CBOT weekly outlook: Soybeans, corn looking past hurricane
MarketsFarm — Hurricane Ida has wreaked havoc on the U.S. Gulf Coast, pressuring Chicago Board of Trade soybean and corn futures as exports face disruptions — but the market is reacting more to what’s coming next than what has already happened, an analyst says. “I don’t know what the ramifications, if any, are for the […] Read more

Pot producer TerrAscend to buy U.S. rival Gage Growth
Company to pay US$545 million
Reuters — Cannabis producer and processor TerrAscend will buy Michigan-based rival Gage Growth Corp., backed by prominent cannabis investor Jason Wild, for around US$545 million, the pot producer said on Wednesday. Dealmaking in the U.S. cannabis industry has heated up this year as companies bank on Democrats’ promises to reform marijuana laws and potentially legalize […] Read more

Rookie Nova Scotia MLA named agriculture minister
Greg Morrow sworn in Tuesday
A radio news director from eastern Nova Scotia has been tapped as the provincial agriculture minister for incoming Premier Tim Houston’s Progressive Conservatives. Greg Morrow, the new MLA for Guysborough-Tracadie, was sworn in Tuesday along with the other members of Houston’s 19-member cabinet. Houston’s Tories ousted Iain Rankin’s Liberal government in the Aug. 17 provincial […] Read more

Pulse weekly outlook: Tight Canadian supplies to cut into exports
MarketsFarm –– Canadian pulse supplies during the 2021-22 marketing year will be the tightest of the past decade due to drought during the growing season, with the country likely to be a much smaller player in the international export market for peas, lentils and chickpeas as a result. Statistics Canada pegged the country’s 2021-22 pea […] Read more

Striking Olymel workers accept new six-year deal
Slaughter could restart Friday at earliest, company says
Striking workers at a major hog slaughter and cutting plant in Quebec’s Beauce region have agreed to a new six-year contract that could see slaughter resume Friday at the earliest. Olymel and the CSN-affiliated Syndicat des travailleurs d’Olymel Vallee-Jonction (STOVJ) announced Tuesday afternoon that unionized workers at the company’s Vallee-Jonction plant, south of Quebec City, […] Read more

U.S. regulator rejects CN’s voting trust to buy Kansas City Southern
CP rips CN's play as 'illusory and not achievable'
Reuters — The U.S. rail regulator on Tuesday rejected a voting trust structure that would have allowed Canadian National Railway (CN) to proceed with its US$29 billion proposed acquisition of U.S. peer Kansas City Southern. The decision was a blow to the deal that would create the first direct railway linking Canada, the U.S. and […] Read more