Reading Time: 3 minutes When Duane Thompson talks about sustainability, he makes no bones about the fact that nothing is sustainable unless it’s economical for the farmer. “Sustainability is a nice notion but you want to be improving and getting better,” he says. “I’m not really big on sustainability — I want to be sustainable-plus.” Thompson is a case […] Read more
Growing your own N
New research in Saskatchewan proves forage rotations of only two years can provide a valuable fertility boost
German federal, state governments to decide jointly on GM crops
Reading Time: < 1 minute Berlin | Reuters — Germany’s federal and state governments will in future decide together whether to ban the cultivation of crops with genetically modified organisms (GMOs) that are allowed in the European Union, a draft law showed, ending a long dispute. An EU law in March 2015 cleared the way for the approval of new […] Read more
ICE weekly outlook: Harvest to keep market rangebound
Reading Time: < 1 minute CNS Canada — ICE Futures Canada canola contracts have a softer tone, but are likely to stay rangebound in the short term, one analyst says. “We’re not looking for a significant breakout,” said Jerry Klassen, manager of Canadian operations with Swiss-based GAP SA Grains and Produits in Winnipeg. He pegged canola’s short-term range between $450 […] Read more
Monsanto surprises with adjusted profit as expenses drop
Reading Time: 2 minutes Reuters — U.S. seeds and agrochemicals company Monsanto, which agreed last month to be bought by Germany’s Bayer for US$66 billion, reported a surprise adjusted profit, helped by a drop in expenses and higher corn seed volumes. Monsanto agreed in September to a sweetened $128-per-share offer from Bayer that, if approved by regulators, would create […] Read more
EU’s Juncker seeks to win over Austria on CETA
Reading Time: 2 minutes Strasbourg | Reuters –– European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker expressed optimism on Wednesday that EU governments would agree a contentious free trade deal this month ahead of a meeting with a skeptical Austrian chancellor. Juncker said the EU needed to ensure that a deal agreed with Canada two years ago entered into force in a […] Read more
Cargill profit jumps on beef demand, grain margins
Reading Time: 2 minutes Reuters — Global commodities trader Cargill reported a sharply higher quarterly net profit on Tuesday, helped by rising beef demand and stronger grain trading and processing margins. The privately held company’s net income rose 66 per cent to $852 million in the first quarter ended Aug. 31 from $512 million a year earlier (all figures […] Read more
Canada unveils carbon price, energy-producing provinces unhappy
Reading Time: 2 minutes Reuters — Canada’s federal government on Monday vowed to bring in a minimum price on carbon emissions by 2018, prompting one energy-producing province to threaten legal action and another to demand approval of an oil pipeline in return. Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who took power last November promising to do more to protect the […] Read more
Development fund set up for Churchill
Reading Time: 2 minutes The federal Western Economic Diversification (WD) department will put up $4.6 million for economic development work at and around Churchill, Man. after grain export operations were suspended at the town’s Hudson Bay port. Navdeep Bains, the federal minister responsible for WD, announced the new fund Friday at Churchill, saying it will back “projects that grow […] Read more
Louis Dreyfus stems profit slide, but headwinds persist
Reading Time: 2 minutes Paris | Reuters — Agricultural trading giant Louis Dreyfus Company eked out a small rise in 2016 first-half net profit, saying steady shipped volumes helped it weather another tough period in commodity markets. Louis Dreyfus has been grappling with ample supply, lower prices and slower economic growth that have cut margins, while also going through […] Read more
Deere dealer chain Cervus to seek real estate buyer
Reading Time: 2 minutes Prairie farm machinery dealer chain Cervus Equipment Corp. plans to sell about 10 properties where it now operates dealerships and become their long-term tenant. The publicly-traded Calgary company, which operates 72 farm and industrial equipment dealerships in Canada, Australia and New Zealand, said Tuesday it plans to seek out a sale-and-leaseback deal for about 10 […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
