(Photo courtesy Agrium)

Sask. seeks price protection in altering potash taxes

Winnipeg | Reuters –– Potash-rich Saskatchewan hopes to revise its taxes on production of the crop fertilizer to avoid big revenue drops in years when prices sag, the Canadian province’s economy minister said Friday. Saskatchewan, home to mines operated by PotashCorp, Mosaic Co. and Agrium, is conducting its first full review in 10 years of […] Read more

(Co-operator image by Shannon VanRaes)

MacAulay favours TPP deal, poised for trade fight with U.S.

Winnipeg | Reuters –– Canada’s new agriculture minister said Tuesday he likely will support the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiated by the previous government, and is inclined to retaliate against the U.S. over a long-standing meat-labeling dispute. The Liberal government, elected last month, has not taken a firm position yet on whether it will support TPP, which […] Read more


(Dave Bedard photo)

Agrium bucks fertilizer sector trend with Q3 profit

Reuters — Canadian fertilizer and farm retail dealer Agrium on Thursday reported quarterly profit jumped nearly nine per cent, as higher sales volumes and lower costs helped it buck the sector’s trend of weaker earnings. Weaker currencies in fertilizer-buying markets such as Brazil and India are weighing down prices, leading rivals PotashCorp and Mosaic Co. […] Read more



Mosaic’s mine shaft tower from its K3 facility in southern Sask. Photo: Greg Berg

Mosaic sees sliding fertilizer sales; cost-cutting boosts profit

Fertilizer sales look to slide through the rest of the year, U.S. producer Mosaic Co. said on Tuesday, as greater shipments into key markets by rivals in Belarus and China boost competition. The world’s largest producer of finished phosphate products reported a bigger-than-expected quarterly profit, helped by cost-cutting. Fertilizer prices have fallen as the strong […] Read more