Four U.S. senators are attempting to answer the call to fix “broken” cattle markets in the country, with new legislation to restore mandatory country of origin labelling. Greg Henderson, of Drover’s, says he’s not entirely sure how it’s going to work, as mCOOL, as it is called, was eliminated after a lengthy World Trade Organization… Read More
China has formally requested to join the trade deal that was originally intended to limit China’s influence in the global economy. Canada and 10 other Pacific Rim countries signed the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership — the CPTPP — in 2018. On Thursday, Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao submitted China’s application to join… Read More
Canadian Pacific (CP) Railway’s plan to acquire Kansas City Southern (KCS) is one major step closer to becoming a done deal. The companies signed a merger agreement on Wednesday after rival Canadian National (CN) Railway waived its right to a five-day period to negotiate new terms with the coveted Kansas City-based railroad. The US$27.2 billion… Read More
Statistics Canada’s latest production estimates puts soybean production for 2021 down 7.4 per cent year over year to 5.9 million tonnes. Corn production is expected to climb, however, to 14.4 million tonnes in 2021. Much of that increase is from Ontario, where corn production is expected to increase 7.5 per cent to 9.6 million tonnes, on higher yields (+9.3 per cent… Read More
Those in Western Canada looking for hay and those in other areas willing to supply hay for the Hay West 2021 initiative can now access a web portal to connect. The Canadian Federation of Agriculture has launched HayWest2021.net where individuals and businesses can enter the pertinent details of their situation and await word. The program… Read More
BASF Canada has received registration approval from the Pest Management Regulatory Agency for Veltyma fungicide. Veltyma provides broad spectrum control against key leaf diseases on multiple crops including corn, potatoes, wheat, and soybeans, including Group 3 resistant biotypes, says the company. The product is registered for broad spectrum control against northern corn leaf blight, tar… Read More
Just a few weeks ago, Statistics Canada pegged the 2021 canola crop at over 14 million tonnes. The latest report out of the department has decreased that estimate further, to 12.8 million tonnes. “Canola production is expected to fall 34.4 per cent to 12.8 million tonnes in 2021, as drought conditions on the Prairies drove yields to their lowest… Read More
Editor’s note: According to a representative of JBS USA, the fire was limited to the rendering facility and processing is set to begin again this week at the site, pending an assessment of the site. There were no injuries reported. A fire at the Grand Island, Nebraska, JBS beef slaughter and processing facility has closed… Read More
The long-time leader of Quebec’s Union des producteurs agricoles (UPA) has announced he will not seek re-election as general president. Marcel Groleau, dairy producer from Thetford Mines, made the announcement last week. He will stay on as general president until December. Groleau has sat at the helm of the organization for ten years. Prior to that,… Read More
Canadian Pacific (CP) Railway’s plan to acquire Kansas City Southern (KCS) and establish the first Canada-U.S.-Mexico railway is back on track after U.S. regulators blocked rival Canadian National (CN) Railway’s merger application late last month. The KCS board of directors announced on Sunday — the deadline given by CP in its offer — that it… Read More
Four U.S. senators are pushing, once again, for some form of mandatory country-of-origin labelling (mCOOL) of beef. Earlier this week, on September 8, two Republican and two Democrat senators announced a bill entitled the American Beef Labeling Act, which would require the U.S. Trade Representative to develop World Trade Organization-compliant mCOOL within a year of the bill… Read More
Surprises were few and far between in the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s September World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) report on Friday. The major figures were largely in line with pre-report estimates. On the yield side of things, U.S. corn and soybeans came in just slightly above trade estimates. Corn was estimated at… Read More
Olymel management has announced today (Sept 10) the start of a second slaughter shift at its newly renovated hog slaughtering, cutting, and boning plant at Ange-Gardien, Montérégie (formerly Agromex – F. Ménard). The addition and $3 million investment has created 150 new jobs so far, bringing the number of employees over the 700 mark, with 100… Read More
Alberta Agriculture and Forestry Minister Devin Dreeshen has appointed longtime agriculture advocate Kelly Smith-Fraser as chair of Agriculture Financial Services Corporation’s (AFSC) board of directors. Smith-Fraser, an Alberta cattle producer with years of experience on multiple boards, brings a wealth of knowledge, proven leadership, and a passion for agriculture to the role. She has previously… Read More
The Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA)’s National Agriculture Leaders debate hit the airwaves at 7 pm E Thursday night for 90 minutes of lively banter between the four participants: NDP: Alistair MacGregor, Critic for Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, MP for Cowichan-Malahat-Langford CPC: Dave Epp, MP for Chatham-Kent—Leamington BQ: Yves Perron, Critic for Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, MP… Read More