Winnipeg | Reuters — Olymel said Friday it was shipping pigs to the United States to help clear a backlog of hogs after it had to temporarily close its Red Deer, Alta. slaughter plant because of a coronavirus outbreak. Olymel shut the plant on Wednesday and declared force majeure — unforeseeable circumstances that prevent contract […] Read more
Olymel shipping backlogged hogs to U.S.
Company-owned hogs to go south after COVID closes Red Deer plant
Ford recalling older-model Rangers over airbag inflators
Deaths, injuries linked to faulty inflators
Washington | Reuters — Ford Motor Co. is recalling 153,000 older trucks that may have had obsolete Takata air bag modules installed in collision and theft repairs after the Takata recall was completed, the automaker said on Thursday. The second-largest U.S. automaker identified about 8,800 Ford Ranger 2004-06 trucks in Canada and 144,340 in the […] Read more
Feed weekly outlook: Demand strong for Canadian wheat
MarketsFarm — Domestically-grown feed wheat is seeing stronger prices and increased demand — but unlike other commodities, the demand is coming from Canada itself. Wheat has become a more desirable crop for feed rations in recent months as barley prices have risen due to increasing exports to China. With less barley available to feedlots, wheat […] Read more
U.S. grains: Soybeans, corn slump on record USDA acreage projections
Wheat gains on harsh U.S. cold, surging European wheat
Chicago | Reuters — Corn and soybean futures retreated on Thursday after the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) projected that U.S. farmers would devote more acres to the two crops this spring than any year on record. U.S. wheat futures, meanwhile, climbed to the highest level in 2-1/2 weeks on rallying European wheat prices, a […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Live cattle futures dip on slaughter delays
Lower supply expectations support hog futures
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live cattle futures fell on Thursday as short-term processing delays caused by power outages and frigid weather backed up cattle and softened cash prices, traders said. Chicago Mercantile Exchange April live cattle futures settled down 1.225 cents at 122.925 cents/lb., while the spot February contract ended 0.175 cents lower at […] Read more
Grain handler group seeks Vancouver port governance overhaul
The WGEA, whose members ship most of Western Canada's grain, complain the port is in a conflict of interest as both developer and regulator
Vancouver, Canada’s biggest port and the most important to Western Canada’s economy, needs major changes in how it operates, the Western Grain Elevator Association (WGEA) says. As a statutory monopoly the port authority is both a port developer and regulator putting it in a conflict of interest, according to WGEA executive director Wade Sobkowich. “We […] Read more
Nutrien beats profit expectation on strong potash sales
Reuters — Canadian fertilizer maker Nutrien posted fourth-quarter profit above analysts’ estimates on Wednesday as potash demand rose amid rising crop prices, sending its U.S.-listed shares up in extended trade. Fertilizer producers have benefited from high U.S. crop exports, including record-large corn sales to China. With crop prices touching multi-year highs, farmers are poised to […] Read more
ICE weekly outlook: March canola contract not quite out of game
MarketsFarm — ICE Futures’ March canola contract doesn’t have too much to do with the price of the Canadian oilseed directly now but still can influence prices in coming days, according to Keith Ferley of RBC Dominion Securities in Winnipeg. Open interest in the March contract was around 15,000 as of Feb. 17. Ferley noted […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Cattle, hog futures sag as weather stalls slaughter pace
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. cattle and hog futures declined on Wednesday as wintry weather and power outages hampered meat-packing operations, slowing the pace of slaughter and reducing demand for market-ready animals, traders said. Chicago Mercantile Exchange April live cattle futures settled down 1.65 cents at 124.15 cents/lb., while the spot February contract ended down […] Read more
Mustard growers face decision time
AAFC projects more acres in 2021-22
MarketsFarm — For Canadian mustard seed growers, next month will be crucial in learning whether seeding predictions from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada come to fruition. Current mustard seed prices, though, seem to support a rise in the number of acres this coming crop year. Canadian farmers in 2020 grew 99,000 tonnes of mustard seed, the […] Read more
Canadian Cattlemen Presents: Depth of Field
