(FITTrials.com)

Antitrust regulators step in on Dreyfus elevator sale

The federal Competition Bureau says a ‘rivalry’ between a pair of Prairie grain elevators would be lost to farmers if one is sold to the other’s owner. The bureau announced Friday it had filed an application Thursday with the federal Competition Tribunal, seeking an order that grain handler Parrish and Heimbecker sell either its elevator […] Read more

(Dave Bedard photo)

AAFC lowers canola ending stocks forecast

MarketsFarm — Canadian canola ending stocks will be much tighter than earlier thought, according to updated supply/demand tables which were released late Thursday by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and account for the latest production numbers from Statistics Canada. AAFC’s projected canola ending stocks for 2019-20 were lowered to 3.5 million tonnes, which compares with the […] Read more


Manitoba’s Liquor, Gaming and Cannabis Authority (LGCA) has been running billboards such as this one in Winnipeg to educate the public ahead of edibles’ entry to the recreational market. (Dave Bedard photo)

Cannabis patients boost Aurora edible sales

Toronto | Reuters — Aurora Cannabis this week became the first major Canadian company to sell edibles and vapes for medical use, a small base that nevertheless helps shore up margins and paves the way for sales in the much larger European medical market. Medical marijuana has been legal in Canada since 2001, and recreational […] Read more

(File photo)

Feed weekly outlook: Prairie market stable heading into New Year

MarketsFarm — Western Canadian feed grain markets are showing some stability heading into the New Year, as buyers have generally booked coverage over the holiday season. “Everybody is just waiting to see what will happen,” said Mike Fleischhauer of Eagle Commodities in Lethbridge. While large amounts of tough grain were moving, he said there was […] Read more


U.S. grains: Soy futures ease on rains in South American forecasts

U.S. grains: Soy futures ease on rains in South American forecasts

Reuters — U.S. soybean futures edged lower on Thursday, retreating from a five-week high touched earlier this week as traders expected rains to benefit rival suppliers in South America. Favourable crop weather could boost production in Argentina and Brazil, increasing global supplies and competition for export sales to buyers like China. Rains will ease dry […] Read more

(Dave Bedard photo)

Mosaic to cut fertilizer production as weather dampens demand

Reuters — Mosaic Co. said Thursday it will reduce fertilizer production until market conditions improve, as a difficult harvest season in North America has led to reduced fertilizer usage. Agricultural companies’ profits have been hammered this year due to an unusually cold and wet weather that has delayed planting season in North America, and lower […] Read more


(CHS Inc.)

Grain flow shifts from China trade war may last years, CHS says

Chicago | Reuters — The U.S.-China trade war has accelerated Brazilian efforts to erode the United States’ share of the world soybean export market, and some of the shifts in global grain flows could last for years, according to executives at CHS Inc., the largest U.S. farmer co-operative. Even with a so-called ‘Phase One’ trade […] Read more

(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Grain groups give low marks to AgriStability tweaks

Ottawa — A recent meeting of the country’s agriculture ministers failed in providing effective support for farmers facing challenges, Grain Growers of Canada chair Jeff Nielsen says. Only minor changes were made to AgriStability, the main priority item on the agenda for the Ottawa meeting held Tuesday. Federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau and her provincial […] Read more


File photo of Little Manitou Lake, just north of Watrous, Sask. (Dougall_Photography/iStock/Getty Images)

Saskatchewan to relocate ag extension office

The Saskatchewan government is set to make housemates of one of its crop insurance offices and one of its ag extension service sites east of Saskatoon. The province announced Wednesday it will relocate an existing agriculture extension services office from Watrous in March, moving it about 80 km north to the city of Humboldt. “We […] Read more

Agriculture ministers meeting Tuesday in Ottawa included (l-r) Devin Dreeshen (Alberta), David Marit (Saskatchewan), Bloyce Thompson (P.E.I.), Andre Lamontagne (Quebec), Marie-Claude Bibeau (Canada), Ernie Hardeman (Ontario), Blaine Pedersen (Manitoba), Lana Popham (B.C.) and Keith Colwell (Nova Scotia). (Photo courtesy AAFC)

Feds, provinces plan minor tweaks to AgriStability

Ottawa — Minor changes are coming to AgriStability following Tuesday’s meeting between federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau and her provincial counterparts. Major changes, however, will have to wait. A full review of federal business risk management (BRM) will be completed in April, with the findings discussed when the federal, provincial and territorial ministers meet again […] Read more