
Federal reprieve for imidacloprid cuts its application rates
Proposal for near-total ban rejected in Health Canada's final decision
A member of the neonicotinoid family of insesticides and seed treatments has been pulled back from the brink of an all-out ban in Health Canada’s final re-evaluation ruling. Most agricultural uses of imidacloprid — sold by Bayer under brands such as Gaucho, Merit and Admire, and by Adama under brands such as Alias and Sombrero […] Read more

Manitoba cautions on manganese in well water
About a third of wells exceed updated limits, province says
A significant number of wells in Manitoba may be carrying water with manganese levels well above new health standards, particularly for infants. The province on May 3 issued an advisory for owners of private wells that their water “may exceed a new health-based guideline” for the trace element. The element occurs naturally, and commonly, in […] Read more

Tensions build over Argentina’s beef export ban
Rural associations pledge pause in livestock trading
Buenos Aires | Reuters — Argentine farm groups will halt trading of livestock in protest against a 30-day government ban on beef exports aimed at bringing down domestic prices, the country’s main producer groups said in a joint statement Tuesday. The South American country’s centre-left Peronist government unveiled the ’emergency measure’ to tamp down high […] Read more

U.S. judge raises doubts ahead of hearing on Roundup settlement
'The last question is a killer'
Reuters — A U.S. federal judge on Tuesday questioned a US$2 billion proposal by Bayer that would create a framework for resolving future claims that its Roundup herbicide causes cancer, casting doubt on the plan a day before a key hearing. Bayer and class action attorneys hope U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria in San Francisco […] Read more

CN shareholder urges changes to Kansas City Southern deal
Fund manager also holds stake in CP
Reuters — Billionaire hedge fund manager Chris Hohn on Tuesday urged Canadian National Railway to abandon its $33.6 billion bid for Kansas City Southern unless the Canadian railway changed its agreement to drop a key feature that could invite more regulatory scrutiny. Hohn’s TCI Fund Management, which has a 2.93 per cent stake in CN, […] Read more

Pulse weekly outlook: Peas, beans hold up in dry Manitoba
MarketsFarm — Of the pulses being planted in Manitoba this spring, field peas and dry beans appear the best able to handle the difficult drought conditions the province continues to experience throughout its growing areas. Field peas “have a relatively low water requirement, similar to dry beans,” Cassandra Tkachuk, production specialist with Manitoba Pulse and […] Read more

U.S. grains: Corn up on another sale to China
CBOT wheat, soybeans fall
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn futures rose for the second day in a row on Tuesday, supported by strong export demand as well as concerns that forecasts for dry weather in parts of the U.S. could stress the recently seeded crop, traders said. Wheat and soybean futures weakened on a technical setback after failing […] Read more

U.S. livestock: Hog futures rally on technical bounce
June live cattle up, August feeders down
Chicago | Reuters — Lean hog futures rallied on Tuesday, rising 1.8 per cent on a technical bounce after three straight days of declines pushed prices to their lowest since April 30, traders said. Concerns about a tightening of supplies during grilling season added support. “We are still watching weekly hog slaughter rates,” said Rich […] Read more

Klassen: Drier conditions will influence feeder market
The feeder market was hard to define this week. The quality of yearlings was quite variable. Fleshier types were heavily discounted while quality packages were unchanged from seven days earlier. Calf prices were mostly unchanged; however, values were down $4-$6 in drier pockets of southern Saskatchewan and southern Manitoba. Southern Alberta barley prices were quoted […] Read more

Last year’s flour output up in most categories
MarketsFarm — Statistics Canada reported on Monday that Canadian wheat millers processed 3.267 million tonnes of all wheat in 2020 — a slight increase of about 2.1 per cent over 2019, keeping flour processing on the rise over the last four years. There were also year-to-year increases in the other categories tracked by the federal […] Read more