Beijing | Reuters — China is aiming to produce 95 per cent of its pork at home, according to a cabinet document outlining plans for its livestock sector, underscoring a goal to quickly rebuild its huge pig herd after a major disease epidemic. The document, released on Sunday, comes amid a heightened focus on food […] Read more
China targets pork self-sufficiency rate of 95 per cent
Imported beef increasing in market share
Low acreage buoys mustard seed prices
MarketsFarm — Spot prices for mustard seed on the Prairies have trended higher, due to consecutive years of low seeded acreage. In 2020, about 256,500 acres of mustard seed were planted, down about 36 per cent from the previous year. Walter Dyck, seed division manager for Olds Products, mentioned it’s the second time in 20 […] Read more
U.S. grains: Soybeans end down on harvest pressure
Chicago corn, wheat futures climb
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures fell on Monday on the outlook for favourable harvest weather in the heart of the Midwest, where producers are poised to sell soybeans and store their corn, analysts said. Traders were also squaring positions ahead of quarterly grain stocks reports due midweek from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Cattle futures up on cash market optimism
Wholesale pork values support October hogs
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live cattle futures closed firm on Monday, rallying after a sharply lower open as strong packer margins raised expectations for higher cash cattle trade this week, analysts said. Average beef packer margins rose to $320.18 per head, from $313.25 on Friday, according to livestock marketing advisory service HedgersEdge.com (all figures […] Read more
Trump-backed Canadian railway to Alaska faces high hurdles
Proponents say line could move grain, fertilizer as well as oil
Winnipeg/Washington | Reuters — A private-sector proposal endorsed by U.S. President Donald Trump to build a railway from Canada’s oil sands to ports in Alaska would free landlocked crude but faces numerous steep challenges. Trump wrote on Twitter over the weekend that he would issue a permit for the Alaska-Alberta Railway Development Corporation (A2A Rail) […] Read more
Feds pondering more self-reliance in Canada’s food
'Even if we are already in a good position, we can always do better,' Bibeau says
Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau is looking for ways to make Canada’s food supply more autonomous. In an interview Thursday, Bibeau pointed to her minority Liberal government’s pledge in the throne speech to further support the food value chain. That could mean a review of food infrastructure across the country, according to Bibeau. Specifics aren’t yet […] Read more
India’s controversial farm bills become law despite protests
New Delhi | Reuters — India’s president on Sunday approved three controversial agricultural bills amid nationwide protests by farmers who say the new laws will stunt their bargaining power and instead allow large retailers to have control over pricing. Farmers’ organizations say one of the three laws could lead to the government stopping buying grain […] Read more
First of four vessels arrives in Churchill
MarketsFarm — The first grain vessel of the 2020 shipping season is now at Manitoba’s northern Port of Churchill, according to Murad Al-Katib of the Arctic Gateway Group. “We’ll have an active program on durum wheat and lentils going into the Mediterranean,” said Al-Katib, who’s also CEO of Regina-based AGT Foods, one of the group’s […] Read more
Prairie cash wheat: Bids mixed, reacting to futures and loonie
MarketsFarm — Spring wheat bids in Western Canada were mixed during the week ended Thursday, as losses in U.S. futures were countered by support from a weakening Canadian dollar. The currency lost roughly a full cent during the week. Average Canada Western Red Spring (13.5 per cent protein) wheat prices were steady to down $2 […] Read more
Little variation seen in global grain supply and demand data
MarketsFarm — Few significant changes appear in the latest monthly supply and demand report from the International Grains Council (IGC), which released its estimates Thursday. The IGC slightly nudged its estimate of total world grain production from its August estimate of 2.23 billion to September’s 2.227 billion tonnes. The September forecast is 2.1 per cent […] Read more
Canadian Cattlemen Presents: Depth of Field
