Gordon Harrison. (Manitoba Co-operator file photo by Allan Dawson)

Lots of flour to go around, millers’ association says

System is 'doing extremely well' and should have no problem keeping up with demand, CNMA's Gordon Harrison says

The grain supply chain is working as it should during the COVID-19 pandemic, says the president of the Canadian National Millers Association. “From the milling industry vantage point, the movement of grain from farm to the producer to the elevator systems to mills is doing extremely well,” Gordon Harrison said Tuesday. “The grain supply chain […] Read more

(Eyfoto/iStock/Getty Images)

‘Essential’ travel rule fuzzy on farmers picking up parts, inputs

U.S. border officers will have final say on Canadian farmers' cross-border business trips

Whether Canadian farmers can continue to pick up machinery parts and other products for their operations in the United States is at the discretion of U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers. At 11:59 p.m. ET Friday, Canada and the U.S. temporarily restricted non-essential travel between the two nations to try and slow the spread of […] Read more



Ardent Mills’ milling facility at Saskatoon. (ArdentMills.com)

North America’s millers, bakers scramble to satisfy bread binge

Chicago/Winnipeg | Reuters — North American flour mills and bakeries are rushing to boost production as the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus leads to consumer stockpiling of staples such as bread and pasta. The virus’ spread prompted orders to stay at home in some U.S. states, including New York, California and Illinois last week, following […] Read more


Farmer Steve Mackenzie-Grieve pulls harvested wheat from a grain bin at the Yukon Grain Farm near Whitehorse on Feb. 19, 2020. (Photo: Reuters/Crystal Schick)

Wheat in Whitehorse: How climate change helps feed Canada’s remote regions

Newfoundland and Labrador also pushing to expand arable land base

Winnipeg/Ottawa | Reuters — After failing to grow wheat in the Yukon territory 15 years ago, farmer Steve Mackenzie-Grieve gave it another shot in 2017. Thanks to longer summers, he has reaped three straight harvests. This spring he plans to sow canola on his family’s 450-acre farm near Whitehorse, a city not much further from […] Read more

The Hiram Walker distillery at Windsor, Ont. (CNW Group/Corby Spirit and Wine Communications)

Distilleries make sanitizers to meet pandemic demand

COVID-19 sparks demand for hygiene products

Toronto | Reuters — Some Canadian distilleries and breweries have started producing hand sanitizers alongside alcoholic drinks as the rapid spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus stokes demand for hygiene products. The move comes after Health Canada this week relaxed rules on the sale of hand sanitizers, disinfectants and protective equipment on a temporary basis to […] Read more


(Alexey Rezvykh/iStock/Getty Images)

No delays expected in fertilizer distribution

National fertilizer association doesn't expect any disruptions to deliveries

Should farmers expect delays to fertilizer deliveries heading into spring seeding? “Not if we can help it,” Fertilizer Canada CEO Garth Whyte said Thursday.”We’ve weathered all the rail system disruptions that we had over the last six months, and now, with COVID-19, we’re doing OK. “We’ve put contingency plans in at our manufacturing plants, at […] Read more

File photo of Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland in the House of Commons in Ottawa on March 9, 2020. (Photo: Reuters/Blair Gable)

Parliament hustles through CUSMA ratification

Implementing bill passes before Commons adjourns until April 20

Ottawa | Reuters — Canada’s Parliament rushed through ratification of the new Canada-U.S.-Mexico (CUSMA) trade pact on Friday before taking a three-week break to help stop the spread of the coronavirus, a top government official said. Canada was the last of the three signatories to formally adopt the pact, prompting congratulations from the United States […] Read more


Now that Brexit has happened, the U.K. can negotiate a trade deal with the U.S.

Dittmer: Surveying the field of international trade

Free Market Reflections with Steve Dittmer

Okay, the web says Canada is a “constitutional monarchy” with a “Westminster-style parliamentary democracy.” Exactly how do Canadians expect mere Americans to savvy all that? The question occurred to me reading that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and President Donald Trump appear to have the same respect for the rule of law, when it comes to […] Read more

(File photo courtesy Canola Council of Canada)

USDA adjusts world rapeseed stocks estimates

Canadian carryout pegged above AAFC's estimate

MarketsFarm — World rapeseed ending stocks are forecast to tighten slightly in 2019-20 compared to earlier projections, according to an update from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agriculture Service. The Oilseeds: World Markets and Trade report pegged world rapeseed carryout for the current marketing year at 6.307 million tonnes, down from the February estimate […] Read more