It’s a great day to talk grain markets, because, hey, the funds are in and the numbers are looking good! And so we kick off this RealAg LIVE! segment with market analyst Wendy White of Viterra. From where the good news on crop prices is coming from, to supportive moves in canola exports, and on… Read More
The Maple Leaf Foods hog plant at Brandon, Man., has temporarily suspended pork exports to China on a voluntary basis. China has recently instituted new rules where any plant reporting COVID-19 cases is required to suspend exports. The Brandon plant has seen over 50 cases of COVID-19 among employees in the last few weeks, accounting… Read More
As we navigate value chains in a global pandemic, many ag and food commodities are experiencing supply disruption and major shifts in demand of both product and destination. These shifts are perhaps most evident in protein markets, and Michael Young, president of Canada Beef, says that the value chain is adapting as well as it… Read More
Canada and the U.S. share a border, have integrated trade systems, and similar crop mixes. The similarities don’t end there, either. Both Canada and the U.S. are dealing with trade disruption across several commodities, and are suffering from COVID-19 related shutdowns. There are differences, too, of course, and in this RealAg LIVE! Shaun Haney is… Read More
What would the Conservative Party of Canada do with AgriStability and other business risk programs? Does this current Liberal government understand agriculture at all? What can farmers expect to change when the U.S.-Mexico-Canada agreement comes into effect July 1? If the answers to any of those questions interest you, check out this RealAg LIVE! segment… Read More
With tensions rising between the U.S. and China in the last ten days, questions are mounting regarding China’s ability to meet its Phase One trade deal obligations. China provided a major shot across the U.S. bow early Monday (June 1) when Reuters reported that President Xi had instructed Chinese state-owned COFCO and Sinograin to quit… Read More
The B.C. Supreme Court released its decision regarding the issue of double criminality in the extradition case of Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou on Wednesday. Associate Chief Justice Heather Holmes ruled the trial should proceed, saying the crime Meng is accused of by U.S. prosecutors would also be a crime in Canada. Farmers in Canada have… Read More
Exports are so important to the Canadian beef industry, and early 2020 was shaping up to be a record year for global demand. Then, COVID-19 happened. Statistics Canada recently released the January to March numbers for Canadian beef exports, and as Brenna Grant, manager of research services for CanFax, explains, there is evidence of COVID-19… Read More
The cattle and beef industries have been hit hard during the COVID-19 pandemic. To answer some of the timely questions this RealAg LIVE! edition features Fawn Jackson, director of government and international relations at the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association. In the video below, host Shaun Haney and Fawn discuss: Domestic and U.S. cattle processing, where things… Read More
The federal government has been criticized for its handling of China both diplomatically and on trade. That said, Canada is a tiny country economically, and it’s rather difficult to throw weight around when you don’t have it. Dr. Gordon Houlden, director of the China Institute at the University of Alberta, says that some of China’s… Read More
Early reports today that China would fully re-open its market to all Canadian canola are not correct, according to both the Canola Council of Canada and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. Today marks four years since Canada signed an MOU with China on the blackleg issue. Discussion this week between China and Canada have been centred… Read More
Even before the COVID-19 pandemic ban began impacting trade flows out — and in — to China and other overseas markets, Canada’s railways were struggling to catch up from a challenging shipping season. An 8-day strike, closed western lines due to slides, and then the blockades in solidarity with the Wet’suwet’en people of B.C., meant… Read More
Grain elevators in both western and eastern Canada are reporting delays in accessing containers to fill for overseas customers. Regular train traffic is catching up after a series of setbacks this winter — a strike, a rock slide on the western tracks, and then blockades — but container traffic is another beast entirely. Container traffic… Read More
Japan has closed all schools for a month, Romanians are facing empty supermarket shelves, and some firms in England have asked staff to work from home. The fear of coronavirus is spreading, and it’s spreading into the commodity markets. “Traders and markets caught obviously the fear of the virus,” says Pro Farmer policy analyst Jim… Read More
News of the U.S./China trade deal has largely focused on China agreeing to purchase $80 billion in U.S. agricultural goods over the next two years, but there are other clauses in the text of the deal that have the potential for a large impact on American and Canadian beef producers. The deal also includes a… Read More