The price of corn is something that’s weighing heavy on the minds of producers right now. Not producers only, but everyone affected either directly or indirectly with the crop is wondering where corn will top out and where it’s headed as we look to 2013. In this episode of the Corn School, Moe Agostino of… Read More
Category: Industry Issues
Hog production in Western Canada had a rough go this week. First, Big Sky Farms entered receivership — for the second time in less than four years — then, just yesterday, Puratone Corporation filed for creditor protection. It is not a good time to be a hog farmer, with reported losses per hog ranging from… Read More
Western Canadian farmers struggling to feed livestock in the very dry 2002 growing season were helped out by their eastern counterparts when an ad hoc program dubbed “Hay West” sent thousands and thousands of tonnes of hay to those in need. This year, western Canadian farmers are returning the favour with Hay East 2012. Livestock… Read More
The face of Canada is constantly changing, however, a great deal of those changes happen so slowly they go unnoticed. But sometimes changes take place that can’t help but be felt. Any of those shifts that involve the famous or infamous “baby boomer” generation tend to be some of the more noticeable demographic shifts. That’s… Read More
Say what you want about organic food production and produce, but proponents of organics can’t claim that organic food is more nutritious. That’s according to a study out of the Stanford School of Medicine, which concluded definitively that organically produced fruits and veggies offered the same level of nutrients. There are some distinct differences between… Read More
Time to savour that juicy steak, chicken wings and delicious pork tenderloin, because within the next 40 years we’re all going to have go vegetarian. That’s according to a group of scientists from the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI). Researchers there point to water usage in livestock production as the main limiting factor of our… Read More
In part one of our RealAgriculture Roundtable we discussed with Don Henry of Morris Industries the advantages and the complications that have come from the rise of precision agriculture. This time around we bring up a topic that comes up at almost every farm show where big equipment is involved: How big is too big?… Read More
Agriculture is an industry full of untold success stories. Many of those success stories are driven forward by great leadership. The agricultural industry is full of great leaders that have some great stories of failure, success and challenges. RealAgriculture and Kim McConnell are happy to announce the launch of a new series entitled, RealLeaders, Conversations… Read More
A great friend of RealAgriculture.com is going to be inducted into the Canadian Agricultural Hall of Fame in the fall. Kim McConnell’s name is synonymous with agriculture marketing in Canada. Kim has been involved in many projects in the front lines and also many in the background steering teams and people to accomplish their goals. Along… Read More
Corn and soybeans are continuing to expand their presence from their traditional growing regions into areas previously unseen. A combination of economics and new genetics are driving this march North with a great deal of success. The question now is, how will that success impact other crop types in those new geographies? Should those other… Read More
I always find it interesting to read or hear the mainstream media cover big ag stories. We have been able to see this with the coverage of the CWB single desk dissolving early this year and now the Glencore – Viterra deal. In the below episode of the Lang and O’Leary Exchange, three segments are… Read More
With the sale of Viterra, Agrium has purchased the ag-retail locations that are not attached to grain terminals. We have had several emails this week from farmers requesting the opportunity to vote on the impact of Agrium (CPS) having a very dominant ag-retail presence in Western Canada. With this 1.6 billion dollar purchase, Agrium will… Read More
Based on the announcement today of the Glencore purchase of Viterra, Richardsons has really solidified their already strong presence in Western Canadian agriculture. According to the Richardson’s press release: Richardson’s agreement with Glencore includes the purchase of a 25% ownership interest in Cascadia Terminal (Vancouver), which will allow Richardson to ship increased volumes of grain… Read More
Well it official….Viterra has been sold. TheGlobe and Mail is reporting this morning that Glencore has purchased Viterra for 6.1 billion. Agrium (CPS) take the majority of the agri retail spots while Richardson’s has acquired a quarter of the grain handling assets. More to come as the story develops.
I was listening to CBC Radio this morning and I thought this was a pretty good discussion of the political side of the Viterra takeover. In particular the challenges that Brad Wall has with explaining the three way deal to residents of Saskatchewan. Viterra is a different kind of company than Potash Corp and therefore… Read More