Cattle prices recover after XL’s reopening

Western Canadian prices for slaughter-ready cattle have recovered to hit the year’s high, after bottoming out this autumn when the discovery of tainted meat forced the temporary shutdown of the XL Foods beef-packing plant. Canadian government authorities allowed the XL plant at Brooks, Alta. to reopen in late October. It was closed for about a […] Read more



U.S. wheat little changed before holiday

U.S. wheat ended nearly flat on Wednesday as concerns about dry conditions underpinned the market, but corn and soybeans slid in choppy trading the day before the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday. Trading was light ahead of the break, leaving markets vulnerable to sudden changes. "In a thin market like this you can push it down a […] Read more

U.S. corn notches third straight gain

Chicago corn climbed to its third straight gain on Tuesday, boosted by tight cash markets and technical buying, and wheat followed on deepening concerns about dry crop conditions. Soybeans turned higher after early losses, aided by short-covering and cuts to South American crop forecasts. Tight corn cash markets, due to limited farmer selling of newly […] Read more


Agrium sees owning Viterra farm stores early next year

Calgary fertilizer giant Agrium expects to close its $575 million purchase of farm retail stores from grain handler Viterra in the first quarter of 2013, after Glencore completes its takeover of Viterra, Agrium CEO Mike Wilson said Wednesday. Swiss commodity firm Glencore International’s takeover of Viterra has been delayed until as late as Dec. 10 […] Read more



Canada sees no link between Viterra, Nexen approvals

The Chinese government is treating its role in potential takeovers of two Canadian companies separately, and is not linking them in order to pressure Ottawa to approve a deal between China’s CNOOC Ltd. and Canadian oil producer Nexen Inc., Canada’s agriculture minister said on Tuesday. Approval from China’s Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) under Chinese anti-monopoly […] Read more

Canada’s biggest hog farm weathers crisis, eyes supply risk

 Canada’s biggest hog producer, privately held HyLife, is weathering the industry’s severe losses inflicted by the U.S. drought, but fears losing part of its pig supply as buyers line up for other distressed farms, the company’s chief operating officer said on Thursday. While rival Canadian hog producers Big Sky Farms and Puratone Corporation entered receivership […] Read more